Beyond Reality
by LiveToLie
Summary: A year after defeating Sin, Yuna and her friends are asked to investigate the Farplane, which seems to have been put out of balance. However, upon doing so, they're whisked off to another reality. Not just any reality, but the one and only Zanarkand. It's hard for them all to believe, and even harder to comprehend upon coming across old acquaintances. TidusxYuna
1. Hating to Love You

**Beyond Reality**

Disclaimer: Don't own Final Fantasy and never will.

_Chapter 1: Hating to Love You_

She didn't know what to make of it.

It'd been three days – three days since they'd done the impossible – yet still she felt as though she was dancing in the skies, elevated above reality. Probably because a great deal of her didn't want to face that reality. Yes, she'd given her speech, she'd gone home. But still she sat and wondered, constantly, if all of it was real. And with this thought process came the considerations about whether the honesty of the situation was something she truly desired or not.

Sin was gone. Forever. Certainly this was something to be rejoiced. But, she figured, that was something she didn't know how to do. All her life, she'd seen her path set out before her. Become a summoner; defeat Sin.

Die.

She hadn't planned to be around for the celebration, so she hadn't anticipated it. Every night there were parties, people out in the village ecstatic over Spira's freedom. Yet even as she considered it, she couldn't get over all she'd lost. She hadn't anticipated loss. No, she was supposed to be gone. She wasn't prepared for such grieving. But it was there, inside of her, waiting to be realized.

When they'd defeated Yunalesca, decided to act out against expectations, they'd all been pushed beyond their comfort zones. The adrenaline had been pumped into them, the excitement of rebelling, of risking their lives on one fool attempt, had thrust them all forward. And he'd been there, leading the way, revering in the feeling. She'd trusted him, supposed it was in his nature to charge onwards as he had.

She hadn't seen herself in his actions.

It hadn't been belief and desperation that had spurred him, like it had the rest of them, but numbness. When had he acquired it, she wondered? Or perhaps it'd always been there and she'd been too numb herself to sense it. He'd always known things they hadn't – him and Sir Auron. And when she'd been released of her chains in Zanarkand, his had tightened.

It'd happened in Gagazet, she'd decided. That was when she'd noticed the change the most.

His lack of feeling.

Not in the sense of emotions, but in life. He'd become more reckless. Not careless, but direct, perhaps, in his intentions. He'd stopped giving in and had proposed they fight. Because he'd known, somehow, that the system was wrong. He'd been put on Spira, she realized, to change that. To be the piece that altered them all.

She wasn't the only one mourning his loss. He'd affected them all a great deal. He'd been Wakka's best friend and his loss had been like losing Chappu all over again. A brother to Rikku; a brother, perhaps, to Lulu, who had adopted him as the older woman had herself. Even Kimahri had admired him. It'd been shocking, to realize that he'd had intentions hidden behind all their reckless actions. That he'd had his own agenda.

Like she had, he'd become numb to life, pushing forward if only to reach the end.

He'd exchanged his life for her own.

It angered her, the hypocrisy of it all. That he'd dared be hurt over her choice at being a summoner when he had decided to cast himself off as well. And that he had robbed her of such a fate. Because, had it not been for him, all would have panned out as she'd expected. She might have married Seymour, she might have not, but she would have called the Final Aeon, become High Summoner, and been remembered as gallantly as her father. Instead, he'd dropped into their world and put ideas of hope and tolerance that none of them had even considered before. He'd plagued them with his ignorance and goodness, only to prove that, in the end, he'd been as knowledgeable as they had all thought they'd been. He'd dooped them with his selfish ideals of self-preservation only to cast himself off in the end.

She didn't admire him for it.

He could have been honest, told them what he was. They could have found another way, as he'd convinced them to do with her. But no, he'd kept it all to himself. She'd seen hint of it a few times, during his discussions with the fayth and his hardened determination. But none of it had been able to get past the newness of being able to consider things outside their small box.

He'd spoken to the fayth as if they'd had personal connections – as if they'd known each other. He'd suffered a vision in Gagazet, as she had in the cloister so many times before. He'd known of Sir Jecht's true form. Yet she'd simply placed all her faith in his ability to make everything better, to save them from themselves. She'd trusted him completely, which had been her mistake.

She should have questioned him, but he'd blinded them all.

Part of her hated him.

What right did he have, an outsider, to give his life to save anyone's? Spira wasn't his home. He hadn't witnessed the suffering and the death as they had all through their lives. Who was he to make such a move?

Who had he been?

_What_ had he been?

She didn't… understand any of it…

And because of that, in her confused turmoil caught between love, hate, and grief, she waited.

She wandered down to the Besaid beach, she waded her ankles into the sea, and she whistled.

She cried out to no reply.

Silence.

"Yunie?" Turning her head over her shoulder, she blinked as she spotted her cousin standing beside the curtain that led into her hut. She had a look of uncertainty about her, tense agitation they all felt when addressing each other after such a dramatic show of selfish self-sacrifice.

Hatred and grief aside, they were all fully aware that he'd save them. In a thousand more ways than one.

"What is it?" Yuna replied, pushing a small smile onto her face.

"I just…" Rikku came fully into the room, dressed in a light green, Besaid-patterned summer dress that had been gifted to her upon arrival, as had many other things. Yuna had received many such wares herself, the array stacked up in her room in a disorganized mess that, perhaps to more intuitive individuals, mirrored her state of mind. "I was wondering if you wanted to come out to the celebration tonight. The sun's setting and most of the villagers are back from harvesting." The fruit that grew on Besaid – a very desired commodity and a main source of income for the villagers. "I think that… that people are growing anxious."

Because she'd rarely made appearances at such things since the calm had started, which was quite the opposite of what was expected.

"I'll come," she assured despite how her body cried out against it. Rikku smiled in relief at her agreement and Yuna, as if pulling herself from quicksand, stood from her position on her bed before slowly gracing her bare feet around the room to meet her cousin. She was wearing a long, white beach dress, the fabric so much lighter than her summoner garb that she wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to feel about wearing it.

But it hadn't seemed appropriate to wear the robes of a profession she'd never belong to again.

"It'll be okay," Rikku assured quietly with a soft, sympathetic smile as she linked arms with Yuna. Together, they pulled the curtain aside and headed out into the orange of the setting sun. Already, in the middle of the village, Yuna could see a fire being puffed, the villagers gathered around with happy expressions and joyous conversation. Lulu and Wakka were there was well, standing some two feet away from each other and pretending the distance was much larger than they both secretly preferred.

As if the pilgrimage had been a giant weight off of everyone, they too had shed their guardian attire, Lulu wearing long robes of dark purple while Wakka sported only the jean bottoms of his uniform and his trademark headband.

They were all so… bare.

"Yuna," Lulu cooed softly as the two cousins made their way over. She welcomed Yuna with open arms, straightening her hair as she always did when she was worried. "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" Her voice was quiet, none of the villagers able to hear despite how they gawked. Most knew Yuna very well however, and so only stared out of concern for her recent depression.

Because not even she could deny she was depressed, for more reasons than she herself knew.

"I'll be alright," Yuna assured as she reached up and took Lulu's wrist in her hand. Gently, she pulled her adopted sister's fingers from her person, not wanting to be fussed over. All three of her guardians frowned, but didn't comment, and as Yuna sensed the shadow of Kimahri approach from behind, she felt relief at being before his protective presence. A comfort she'd taken since childhood.

"Oh no," Rikku stated a few seconds later. "Here comes Pops again." She rolled her swirling green eyes, Yuna turning to watch as both her Uncle Cid and her other cousin (Brother?) waltzed over. They garnered no odd stares from the villagers despite their status as Al Bhed. Since Yuna's lineage had been revealed, they'd all decided to accept their presence, if only because Cid, Brother, and Rikku were related to the High Summoner and must, therefore, not be held accountable for their own race. Rather, they were quite liked in the blindness of their position.

"Yuna!" her uncle announced gruffly upon seeing her. "'Bout time you showed your face!" He came right over, smiling broadly down at her. "Can't say I'm sorry to be able to still see that pretty face." Because all her uncle had been making reference to since their return was the fact that Yuna hadn't died defeating Sin. He seemed to consider it a personal kind of accomplishment.

"It's good to see you as well," Yuna replied civilly and bowed only slightly.

"Leave her alone Pops!" Rikku reprimanded, bounding forward and shoving her father by the shoulder. He stumbled back a pace in surprise. "She doesn't want your breath all over her." Cid appeared momentarily affronted, but hardly capable of standing up to his daughter, as was typical. She just acted and looked so much like her late mother…

"I wasn't tryin' to be offensive," he eventually defended, sounding slightly wounded. "I was only-"

"Cid!" They all turned their heads to see that it was the head summoner, or previous summoner, of the temple that called out. He was grinning, greeting the Al Bhed with far more gusto than a man of the cloth really should. But much had happened, Yuna supposed. "I was wondering when you'd turn up." Ample amounts of the village's attention had fallen to the exchange at this point, children creeping forth with curiously expectant looks on their faces.

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Just walked up from the beach," Cid assured, quickly regaining his good countenance.

"Good, good!" the ex-summoner nodded. "The sun was setting and the kids were getting impatient."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Cid laughed. "Don't want to disappoint the kids now do we?'" Or the adults for that matter, who had been waiting with less patience than perhaps they'd like to admit for Cid to show up.

"What's going on?" Yuna asked Lulu quietly, not failing to see how the faces of all her guardians had dropped as the conversation had progressed. Dark wine eyes flicking to her, Lulu pursed her lips before quietly relaying an answer.

"Last night, Cid started to tell the story of how we defeated Sin," Lulu explained. "Or the parts he knows anyway. In any case, he didn't finish and the whole town is waiting to hear." Yuna felt her own mood drop more than it already had, but as the villagers began to crowd up around them, she realized she couldn't very well leave. It'd be too much of an insulting interruption and would no doubt spoil the mood of the evening. She didn't want to ruin the celebration.

"Tell us, tell us!" a few children chanted and Cid, smiling the whole way, turned to address them directly.

"Well where was I?" he asked even though he no doubt was probably fully aware of the answer. "Ah yes, we'd just initiated our genius plan of action." Someone, Yuna hadn't seen who, had brought up a chair for her to sit in, as if she should want to remain and relive something she'd experienced only some days prior.

Smiling gratefully, she sat down.

"We had everyone in Spira singing," Cid continued. "We were pacifying Sin, you see," and no one questioned how this worked, for not even Cid could really comprehend how Sir Jecht played into all this. He wasn't as personally acquainted with the situation as the summoner and her guardians. "And it was workin,' so we flew in, my little Yuna and her guardians ready for battle!"

"But weren't you scared?" one of the smallest children asked from his position sitting directly in front of Cid.

"Scared? 'Course not!" Cid lied. "The only thing I feared was my daughter and niece gettin' hurt, but I knew they were in good hands. See, unbeknownst to them two," her jerked his thumb their way and Rikku crossed her arms haughtily over her chest, "I'd made sure to ask the best guardian of em' all to keep an eye on em.'" Both Wakka and Lulu furrowed their brows, which wasn't exactly a new reaction to Cid's telling of the whole battle. "See, back when we were fightin' with Yevon, he'd made me a promise to find a way to save my little niece, and then he'd gone through and done it, so I knew I could trust him. Never met a young man so determined to keep to his word. I knew he'd put himself in front of both of them before he'd let anything happen."

Yuna pursed her lips and glanced down at the dirt. Neither she nor Rikku, based on the sour look on her cousin's face, had been aware that such a promise had been made. Since when had he become such a highly regarded asset to have? When had this transformation taken place?

Why hadn't Yuna seen it before?

"Who was he?" an older girl, probably in her early teens, questioned. "You talked about him yesterday, but I don't know who he is." Because they all knew Wakka and Lulu, and Kimahri, and Rikku now. And they'd all known of Sir Auron. But who was this other man? One most of them had seen in Besaid those two days when he'd first arrived, but probably hardly remembered…

"Who was he?" Cid sounded affronted. "Why, he's the best guardian there ever was." Because Cid held him in very, very high esteem at this point. What he'd done had touched them all beyond words.

"Better than Sir Auron?" a quiet voice asked.

"Sure was!" Auron and Cid had never gotten along very well. "Sir Tidus had him beat, no doubt about that." His name being mentioned so carelessly nearly made Yuna flinch. She didn't miss how all her guardians had quickly glanced down at her. "Bravest young man I ever met."

"Where is he?" the girl asked.

"Well you have to let me finish the story," Cid reasoned, though there was a trail of sadness in his voice as he considered. "I wasn't there myself, but I heard the whole thing from my daughter. They beat their way into Sin, got inside the beast itself, and there, waiting for them, was the Final Aeon."

"The Final Aeon?" a few young voices gasped, everyone in the village intent on hearing as well.

"Yup!" Cid affirmed. "Cuz you see, Sin comes back because, after the Final Aeon destroys it, it's reborn from that very aeon. So they had to fight their way through Lord Braska's Final Aeon." Again, the parts about Jecht were left out. "And after that, they had to fight the worst of all.

"Yu Yevon." He said the name with a sense of airs that left everyone wanting to hear more. "He was the first summoner to ever call on Sin and the one that's been calling it ever since." The short way of putting things perhaps.

"How did they beat him?"

"With bravery and courage of course!" Cid said it as if it was obvious.

"What about Sir Tidus?" the young woman, who was quickly becoming infatuated with the idea of the guardian, asked.

"He was the bravest of all," Cid replied sincerely, none of the other guardians having any qualm with the notion. He had, after all, led the charge and always been the first to confront the enemies within. It was his perseverance that they'd followed. Alongside Yuna's drive and determination.

"They fought and defeated Yu Yevon. And with him gone, Sin began to crumble away. Which is where the Lady Summoner comes in," he glanced up at Yuna then, the entire village looking to her, and she forced a small smile. "It was her job to send Sin so it could never come back. She used all her strength to do it, sending all the fayth and aeons with it, making it impossible for Sin to ever come back."

The clearing was awed into silence then.

"Sin was gone, the heroes had succeeded," he was sparing no excess. "But some didn't make it through. Sir Auron left this world with the fayth, a brave and honorable guardian." His tone had become somber as he'd realized, finally, that in bringing up the whole story, he'd actually have to end it.

In typical Cid fashion, he found that it was now too late to regret having started what he'd have to finish.

"What about Sir Tidus?" the girl asked again.

At this, however, Cid opened his mouth to no words. Mostly because he was as confused as the rest of his crew over what had happened to the young man. The only thing he truly knew was that he'd sacrificed himself to bring about their peace, though the details eluded him.

"Sir Tidus, well…" Cid scratched his bald head before, somewhat helplessly, glancing over at Yuna and her guardians.

He didn't know what to say.

An awkward, expectant silence fell over the crowd. Especially since a spare few of those present knew who Tidus was. Specifically, the Aurochs, who'd spread his valor on the blitzfield to nearly everyone in the village. He had been, after all, the one that had led them to victory in the first three fourths of the tournament game and, had it not been for the plays he'd initiated and the goals he'd scored, they might have lost, even with Wakka coming in at the end. Though few were making the connection that the young man Cid was talking of and the one that had played in Luca were one and the same, a few could.

Lulu sighed.

"Sir Tidus is gone," she stated firmly, drawing all the attention her way. "He was all the things that Cid has said, and more, and he sacrificed his life to save Spira from Sin. Without him, we never would have made it as far. He was a favorite of the fayth, was Sir Jecht's son," whispers broke out then, "and left this world with both valor and courage."

"He… died?" the young girl asked, the only of the children brave enough to break the silence that followed Lulu's speech. Yuna closed her eyes and tried to ignore the words circling around her.

"…Yes," Lulu sounded only vaguely uncertain. "He… he died."

"But how?" the little girl continued to press, the expectant faces of everyone else who wanted to hear the full story weighing down on them all.

Lulu wasn't quite sure what to say however.

"Well, he…" she tried to come up with something believable, that the general public could comprehend, but the words wouldn't come.

Yuna, ignoring how her head raged, flicked her eyes back open and glanced up at them all.

"Sir Tidus died protecting the people of Spira," Yuna's voice rang out stronger than she'd expected, her guardians glancing down at her in surprise. "Protecting all of us," she placed her hand on her chest, as if the motion should signify herself. But really she was willing her heart to stop trying to pound out of her chest. "A hero's death. That's how he died." The words sounded foreign on her tongue, like lies, and they tasted bad even as she said them, no matter the truth of the matter.

The whole thing disgusted her.

Unable to take the pressure any longer, she rose to her feet. Pulling her eyes from the villagers, she paused for only a moment before turning and heading back towards her hut.

She retreated, her ears hearing only a few more words before she was safely back in her room.

"But _how_ did he die?" the young woman asked.

There was no response.

**oOo**

Over the course of the next few weeks, as the story spread like wildfire from Besaid, dozens of accounts on who exactly Sir Tidus had been and what he'd done differed from one person to the next. A lack of full story had made way for the imaginations of everyone in Spira, who were always more apt to focus on the dead rather than the living. His history flew between a reckless wild-child with Al Bhed characteristics to a seasoned monk who'd given up his religion for the greater good. As to what he looked like, he seemed to have inherited every feature ever imagined. His age, too, was debated. Some believed him to have at least been as old as Sir Auron, while others argued that he couldn't be much more than a child, what with his supposed rebellious ways.

When these rumors reached those who had actually met him, the preposterous nature of the words affronted them all greatly. They went about setting the record straight, new rumors flying and bouncing back in return. He was labeled to be between the age of sixteen and twenty-one, of solid build, and handsome features only befitting such a hero. However, upon such facts being verified, new rumors began flying about until it had been quite decided that the reason High Summoner Yuna had been keeping to herself was because the two had been deeply in love and he'd given up his life to save her own, which, though perverse in some respects, really wasn't that far from the truth. They were soon being compared to the likes of Yunalesca and Lord Zaon, a tragic love story that would go down in history. Poor Sir Tidus had died too young and the High Summoner would die alone, always thinking of him, or young of heartbreak, whichever version suited the teller.

Soon statues of the two were being commissioned for every temple, the artisans setting to work. It wasn't that difficult to depict the High Summoner, for nearly everyone had a sphere of her by that point, but they ran into considerable difficulty when it came to Sir Tidus, who's description got as detailed as "well, he was good-looking." It was for this reason that, about a year after Sin's defeat, they set out for Besaid, determined, in the defense of art, to get a clear idea of what he looked like from the High Summoner herself.

Yuna, however, was not prepared for such a visit or to hear of the rumors that had now concreted themselves all over Spira.

"Which is why we've come to you High Summoner," the artisans defended as they bowed in respect before she and her guardians. "To get a clear idea of how he really appeared. For, as he was so dear to you, you must want an accurate interpretation to be made." Yuna, however, being so affronted and shocked at the personal questions, had had no choice but to leave them, not prepared to answer such inquiries nor to hear of the rumors now circulating all over Spira about her and a certain young man. Instead, flustered, Rikku had tried to give them the answers they'd wanted, but the damage had already been done. Certainly, they got the best description of Tidus they were likely to get, but their audacity in approaching the High Summoner about such matters gave others the entitled courage to try the same and, soon, there were writers and reporters showing up in Besaid everyday.

Yuna didn't know what to do about it. They all wanted to hear about the one subject she didn't want to think about. She was exhausted and felt impressed upon in her own home. She tried to help some of them, but the questions became so personal that she was soon left speechless and having to remove herself, which only spurred more drama about her heartbreak and depression, which then pulled more people to Besaid.

Even the villagers were growing fed up.

"I just want to kick all those reporters out of here!" Rikku announced one afternoon despite how much of an invader she too was when considering Besaid. But she was one of the High Summoner's guardians, which seemed to clear her of all charges. Besides, she was gone off with the Al Bhed a good part of the time. "Can't even walk across the village without getting mobbed. I didn't even know huts could be built as fast as they are." Because the guests had to have somewhere to stay, so Besaid was expanding at a pretty incredible rate.

"It is rather ridiculous," Lulu agreed from her position sitting on the other side of the hut, a pair of Wakka's pants in her hands as she sewed up the hole. The very man sat on the floor beside her, quite irritated with the whole thing.

"It should be against the rules, ya?" he stated in a huff. "Invadin' the island. I oughta…"

"They're only curious," Yuna defended quietly despite her exhaustion.

"It's none of their business," Rikku stated, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "How would they like-"

"Excuse me." They were all silenced by a voice outside the hut. "My Lady?" They knew the voice. It was Shelinda, a young woman they'd met on the road. "I know no one is supposed to bother you while you're inside, but I-"

"It's alright," Yuna assured. "You are a friend Shelinda." She must have travelled a considerable distance to come to Besaid. She always had been a bit of a wanderer however.

Hesitantly, the young woman entered, immediately praying and bowing as a sign of respect to Yuna, who didn't return the gesture. Her religion, among many other things, was shattered and irreparable.

"What brings you all this way?" Lulu asked curiously, not rising from her seat. Being visited everyday had made them all quite lazy when it came to courtesy. They much preferred to just keep on as they were, seeing as no one was likely to take offense. And if they were, they were hardly worth the summoner and guardian's time.

"I do not wish to bother any of you," she made perfectly clear, obviously having taken note of the camps inside the village. "I have been sent from Bevelle My Lady," she addressed Yuna directly, "with an urgent message from Yevon."

Yuna frowned.

"Shelinda, I respect what you do, but I have no intention of affiliating myself with Yevon." She didn't mean to be harsh, but after everything she'd learned and been through, those still in tandem with the teachings were the last she wanted to work with – her friends and good acquaintances along her pilgrimage exceptions of course.

"I know," Shelinda sounded almost embarrassed then, perhaps for her own foolish trust in Yevon, which was being exposed more and more every day. Yet still she stood by, hoping to find some kind of hope to halt her religious confusion. A plight many were attempting to deal with all across Spira. "I do not come with a message in representation of Yevon, but rather a plea."

Yuna furrowed her eyebrows.

"After Lord Seymour left the priesthood, the guado, who feared for their lives upon realizing that you'd defeated Sin, fled in the hopes of escaping the wrath of anyone who deemed their previous behavior unforgivable." Yuna frowned. "I was put in charge of investigating Guadosalam and the Farplane, under Yevon's orders. However…" She pursed her lips then.

"What is it Shelinda?" Lulu encouraged.

"Oh it's so strange," she verified shakily. "It seems that… that since Sin was defeated, the Farplane has been set in a state of turmoil. I sent some disciples to investigate and was told later, by those who watched, that some of their party were swallowed by the Farplane. No one can enter and those too close have suffered when it… it surges forth. We fear it may continue to spread and wreak havoc on all of Spira.

"Oh Lady Summoner, you must help us!"

Yuna, blinking, tried to find something to say, as did her guardians.

Shelinda continued before they could find words however. "You must know something My Lady. You, who found the way to rid Spira of Sin forever…" It was quickly becoming apparent that coming to Yuna was a desperate attempt to find an answer.

"Shelinda, I… I don't know… anything…" Had she ever known anything? It all seemed like a hectic dream now, her pilgrimage. Had she ever done anything right? Or known any truths?

"But… what are… what are we to do…?" Shelinda looked on the verge of tears then, her head bowed.

"What of Yevon's leaders?" Lulu tried to find something, anything. "Certainly there must be something in the teachings that can guide you in this?" Something about the Farplane. A history perhaps?

"Yevon does not…" Shelinda sighed. "Yevon is in turmoil. Leadership falls to no one and I fear fighting make break out. And those of us who are trying to find answers have found very little in the teachings, despite having access to that which we never did before." She sighed. "Lady Yuna," she looked back to the High Summoner. "I do not come to you now as a disciple of Yevon, but as a citizen of Spira. I do… we don't know what to do."

Her head fell in defeat.

It was then that Yuna realized just how torn Spira had become in response to she and her guardians' actions. No one was leading anyone, power was being fought over, and for those who were afraid, she was the closest thing they had to a leader.

The weight of the world hadn't been lifted at all.

"We could go check it out," Rikku shrugged. "I mean, it is a little disconcerting. Even the Al Bhed view the Farplane as being… sacred." Even if they never entered it themselves.

Lulu looked to Yuna. "It'd be a good excuse to get away for a while."

Yuna pursed her lips, considering the idea before glancing back up at Shelinda. She offered the young woman a reassuring smile.

"Of course we'll see what we can do."

Shelinda sighed in relief.

**oOo**

"Is the Lady Summoner alright?" Shelinda asked as they descended the ramp of the airship. They'd landed just outside Guadosalam, in the Moonflow, and Shelinda questioned Lulu as they walked towards the city.

"She will be," Lulu decided as they turned to wait on Yuna and Rikku, who'd come last from the airship. Yuna had tried to hide the redness around her eyes, but had finally given up. She cared little for the thoughts of others, she decided.

"Does she grieve the loss of…?" Shelinda tried to ask, but a look from Lulu warned her from continuing as the group came together. Yuna shed less and less tears everyday, every week now, but the hurt was still there in all of them. The loss and emptiness. And unanswered questions.

"To the Farplane then, ya?" Wakka decided as they all, Yuna, her guardians, and Shelinda, began to walk towards the entrance to Guadosalam. As they descended down into the dimly lit village, Yuna was struck by the emptiness. No guado at all – only a few Yevon disciples standing and waiting for their arrival. They didn't say anything upon seeing Yuna however, the uneasiness of the situation making them all tense with silence.

It was disconcerting to the entire party.

They followed Shelinda however, around the winding paths until they reached the one that led up to the Farplane, where a few yevonites stood guard. They didn't attempt to stop Yuna and her guardians as they passed on however, merely stared at them and remained tensely silent. The unevenness in the air was palpable.

"I've already got the creeps," Rikku verified, holding more tightly onto Yuna's arm. Yuna ignored the comment however, instead registering how the temperature had dropped to a chilling level, goosebumps running up and down her arms. There was definitely something very wrong. She didn't have to see the Farplane to know that. It was in the air, affecting everything. It felt heavy even, and left her with the familiar feeling of anxiety she'd felt just before entering the cloister of trials.

"We shouldn't go much further," Shelinda warned as they slowed to a stop. "It's not safe…"

"But we can't even seen anything, ya?" Wakka crossed his arms over his chest. What he said was true after all. They were only about halfway down the narrow, cave-like path that went to the Farplane. They couldn't even see it, their destination. Yet they couldn't entirely blame Shelinda for her feelings either. There was a wariness about the passage that warned them to turn around and not come back.

"People have disappeared further back than this," Shelinda glanced back over her shoulder. Yuna, watching her, could easily sense that she was scared. Yuna herself wasn't exactly feeling comfortable with the situation, but she'd faced worse auras than this. Namely, Sin. Yet Shelinda had never been through such hardships and couldn't be expected to act into such an understanding.

Yuna placed her hand on the young woman's shoulder.

"It's alright," Yuna comforted. "You can go back. We'll be fine."

"But My Lady!"

"Yuna's right," Lulu offered, her tone as velvety as ever. "We've dealt with worse." Shelinda didn't look totally convinced, but as she stared down the passageway, her unease seemed to overtake her. Turning to Yuna, she nodded before slowly heading back the way they'd come.

And though she didn't say as much to the High Summoner and her guardians, she had the mysterious feeling that she was being chased from the corridor. Unwanted.

"Well, should we keep goin?'" Wakka asked, the group still staring down the passage.

"I don't think we have much choice," Lulu stated and, apparently in agreement, the group slowly stepped onward. "I find it odd however, how Shelinda described what has happened. That the Farplane has… swallowed people." It seemed an odd thing to imagine, or even fathom. As if the Farplane had a consciousness and actions.

"I dunno," Rikku had released Yuna and crossed her arms over her chest, rubbing her hands up and down in an attempt to stay warm. She was, after all, only wearing a yellow sun dress, though she was armed (all of them were. They'd learned never to go anywhere uncertain without weapons). "The farther we walk, the more I'm starting to believe it." That was, that something was there, trying to persuade them to turn around.

"You don't think it could be an unsent causing this, do you?" Lulu asked, glancing back at Yuna.

"I was considering that," Yuna agreed. "Though this seems awfully…"

"Extensive," Lulu concluded and Yuna nodded.

"Gives me the heebie-jeebies…" Rikku continued to conclude. Nothing had reached out and attempted to eat them alive however, or whatever it was that was happening. Though it did get colder and colder until, as they rounded the corner that would allow them a view of the Farplane, it was nearly as cold as Mt. Gagazet.

"Look at that," Wakka pointed up the stairs to the entrance to the Farplane. "What in the…"

"What does it mean…?" Rikku's question went unanswered. The Farplane, however, was a completely different picture than the last time they'd seen it. No longer was it a patient, solemn place to visit past loved ones. No, it was dark and chaotic, strips of white lightening zipping through it and sparking off the entrance, as if trying to break through.

And in some places it had. The stairs were in disrepair, missing chunks, and there were cracks in the barrier between the real world and that of the dead. As if, perhaps, the lightning had struck and slipped through to steal away those that approached before springing back in.

"Oh man…" Rikku murmured.

"What should we do?" Yuna was questioning herself more that her guardians.

"Do you think this… maybe has something to do with the… influx of souls?" Lulu turned to Yuna. "You saw how many pyreflies there were when you sent Sin. And if our… understanding of the… dream is… correct, then there was thousands of… people," had they been? "in that Zanarkand." In the dream they'd never seen.

"It's possible," Rikku agreed. "I mean, when… when Tidus… when he disappeared, he…" He went as any dead person had, in a show of pyreflies. "Maybe it's all too much to hold in there…"

"But… what do we do…?" Yuna asked herself once again, answers eluding her. What else could they do, other than wait and see what happens? They had no control over this, or any idea of what was even happening. Perhaps, given time, the Farplane would settle, be able to balance out the souls.

But it was still just a guess, an idea, which was no help to them.

Abruptly, a huge snap of lightning burst inside the dome, cracking loudly and harshly enough to shake the ground on which they stood, all of them stumbling in surprise as Rikku yelped. Yuna, however, whose eyes had been trained on the barrier, found herself gaping as the light flashed and zigzagged through the Farplane.

"Did you see that?" she asked.

"Yes," Lulu verified quickly.

"It was…" Wakka shook his head. "It looked like a city."

"A huge city…" Rikku awed. In the bright flash of light, they'd all blatantly seen the outline – unmistakable. "You don't think that, I mean…" Rikku was attempting to summarize all their thoughts. "That when you sent Sin, I mean… When people are in the Farplane, we can beckon them up and they appear. Do you think that the city…?"

"Zanarkand," Yuna verified with a deep breath. "When I sent the fayth's dream…" Had the city remained intact, or reformed perhaps, upon entering the farplane, as people did?

"This is crazy." Wakka shook his head. "H-hey Yuna! Don't go near it!" His warning was too late however, Yuna already approaching the stairs.

"Maybe…" Yuna could feel her heart pounding in her chest. "Maybe it hasn't been swallowing people, but… but taking them. Maybe they get too close and end up…"

"In Zanarkand?" Rikku finished.

"Maybe this is how… how he got to Spira," Yuna continued. "Only through Sin instead of the farplane…"

"Yuna," Lulu's voice was reprimanding and she turned to her adopted older sister. "Don't get your hopes up about this." Because, despite how she failed to voice it, they could all see where her thoughts were. Where all their thoughts were. "We have no idea what this means."

"I know," Yuna verified as she turned back to the farplane. "I'm not." Which was true. Part of her wanted to see Tidus, while another part of her hated him and never even wanted to think of him ever again. Though, perhaps, that all led back to…

No, she couldn't think about it. About _that_ emotion.

"So… what do we do now?" Rikku asked. Yuna, however, had already been thinking the same thing. Considering the situation, she reached down, removed her sandal, and, taking a deep breath, tossed it at the portal that had originally been the entrance into the Farplane.

Upon making contact, it vanished inside, all of them watching with bated breath. There was a static-like flash where it had been thrown, and was gone just as quickly. As if being grabbed up upon making contact.

Yuna pursed her lips.

"What if it kills us?" Rikku asked, quite positive she knew where everyone's thoughts were. After all, the only way they were really going to know was if they went in. It seemed highly dangerous however, none of them too apt to attempt it.

"The only way to know is to go ourselves." Yuna murmured quietly, the group falling momentarily silent. Fleetingly, she thought of Kimahri, who had left for Mt. Gagazet some months before to help rebuild the ronso home. If he were there, he'd no doubt disapprove of Yuna's closeness. But he wasn't – there was no one there to hold her back.

"So are we goin' to go in or not?" Wakka asked, the group turning to face each other as they considered. It was, after all, a potentially life or death decision to make. The safer bet would be to investigate and see if they could find anything out, not just head in and hope for the best. _That_ would be reckless. Yuna, realizing this, turned back to the entrance, and, approaching slowly, alarmed her friends until they saw that she had no intention of entering. They still didn't like what she was doing however.

"Be careful Yunie," Rikku encouraged as Yuna stopped just before the entrance. Hesitantly, she reached out and, careful not to actually go through the barrier, allowed her hands to shimmy over the surface.

And as she did, an incredible sound took her breath away.

"I can hear them," she breathed, her hand still barely touching the barrier as she did. "The hymn. The hymn of the fayth." She shook her head vaguely. "They're singing." The song brought upon her a menagerie of emotions, all mixed up with an abrupt excitement. Like the hole in her heart was being momentarily tempered. Yet, at the same moment, a realization brought her high to a bitter low, creating a rather nostalgically sad kind of attitude to her. "But they didn't want to sing anymore…"

"The fayth sing when someone summons them," Lulu added. "Someone… someone is calling on them?"

"From inside the Farplane?" Rikku shook her head. "This… this is terrible." The fayth needed to rest, they all realized this now. For a thousand years they'd been imprisoned, forced to serenade the human race into constant battle – the only hope. They should be silent now, gone and relieved.

"I think…" Yuna continued to caress the barrier. "I think we might be able to go in… without fear." The sounds of the fayth reassured her, but that wasn't all. If the fayth were being summoned, then perhaps it was they who were pulling people in. "If the fayth have been the ones… swallowing people, then perhaps they're… they're asking for help." She tried to find reason in it all. "Like when they… brought Tidus to us."

"They grabbed him up from Zanarkand and brought him here," Lulu started to try and understand. "And they're in danger again, so they're desperate and grabbing at anyone they can get?"

"I don't know…" Yuna shook her head.

"But… you think we can go?" Wakka came up beside Yuna, staring down at her questioningly. She returned the look, unsure what he was really asking her. "You understand this better than any of us, ya?" He nodded. "If you think we can… get though there, then… then we'll try."

Yuna glanced back at the entrance, uncertainty crawling inside her. Yet in the same moment, she felt as though she had to do something. The fayth, the aeons, had served and protected her. Her and her friends. If they weren't being allowed to rest, if they were in danger, she had to do something. She had to help them.

Pursing her lips, Yuna closed her eyes, gathered her nerves, and slowly pressed her fingers in through the forcefield.

Almost immediately, she felt as though she was being yanked inside, as if what little she'd given had been more than enough to drag her through. Body suffering a kind of whiplash, she was raced on, her heart nearly stopping as she tried to get a grasp on what was happening. But she couldn't see, couldn't breathe. It was dark yet light at the same time and as she was pulled apart, she almost could have sworn she saw her hands and arms dragged out. As if she was being stretched, her whole form was vacuumed inside.

Where she ended up however, she couldn't know, because soon enough there was nothing.

* * *

**A/N:** Obviously, this is going to get interesting. I'll try and post the next chapter soon, but until then, please leave a review and let me know what you think. I don't know how serious I am about this story, but if people like it… Also, I'm aware that Final Fantasy X-2 exists, but I'm highly dissatisfied with it. It's fun to play and I've beaten it many times, but as far as story and character development, I think it's one of the worst in the series, despite the fun gaming mechanics. Thus, this is my version of what X-2 should have been, lol.

R&R Please


	2. Unfortunate Creature

**Beyond Reality**

_Chapter 2: Unfortunate Creature_

She felt alone.

That was what she first noticed upon regaining feeling in her limbs. She'd never felt such loneliness in all her life. As if she'd always been alone and never had the luxury of another's company. Yet as she blinked her eyes open, the sensation soon faded, as if it were but a mere side effect, and she was able to regain a sense of warmth.

Finding the sensations in her hands, she slowly located the solid ground on which she resided before pushing. Sitting up fully, she blinked and allowed her eyes, which felt new and foreign for a few seconds, to adjust.

It was then that she realized she was submerged in a snow bank.

Eyes wide, she tried to stand, but found the effort futile. Her legs needed just as much time to adjust and as she waited for feeling to return to them, she found her thoughts zipping back and forth from one question to another. The only real conclusion she could come to, however, was that she now understood why it'd gotten colder the closer to the Farplane they'd walked. On the other side was a good three dips of snow.

Finally finding her feet, she slowly stood and, looking around, tried to locate her friends. They were nowhere to be found however and, feeling a sort of panic overcome her, she jogged forward, up the bank, trying to get a better look at her surroundings.

What she found, however, was enough to silence even her thoughts.

Just as he'd described, there it was.

Zanarkand.

She couldn't see for how long it stretched, but she was on just the edge of one side, the buildings too numerous to be counted or even measured. They stretched up into the clouds beyond her line of sight, things she couldn't comprehend whipping in and out between the structures and bridges. She finally deduced that they looked like miniature airships. The extravagance, the luxury – waterfalls, skylights, already she could see a blitzball arena – it was all just unimaginable.

"Oh my god…" She made out Wakka's voice and, turning to see her friends hiking up the hill behind her, she was relieved at their appearance and good health, but too distracted by the city to think on it long. Instead, her eyes fell back on the metropolis, which appeared even more massive and incredible than when Seymour had taken them through that memory sphere.

"Wow…" Rikku was shaking her head, all of them speechless. For some moments, all they could do was stare, astounded. It was probably ten times the size of Bevelle, maybe more, and went on beyond what their eyes could see. It was just… remarkable.

"You were right," Lulu finally found her voice as she came up beside Yuna. "It is Zanarkand."

"But look," Rikku pointed to the base of the city. "What's that?" None of them had failed to notice the giant forcefield that shot up and into the clouds, surrounding and most likely doming the city. Like a shield. And at the base, around the perimeter of the city, were tall, forbidding walls, though Yuna couldn't tell from what it was made. It looked like a kind of glass that graduated up and faded into the forcefield. It was like nothing she'd ever seen in Spira. Aside from the city, however, outside the shield, there was nothing. Just snow. And as Yuna allowed her eyes to travel back behind them, she saw that the snow eventually faded away and became, oddly enough, a field of flowers. And from there, she saw the huge waterfalls that had originally bordered the Farplane.

So yes, they were, in fact, inside the Farplane.

"So strange…" she shook her head before focusing back on the city.

"Yeah…" Rikku agreed, though there was a liveliness that, even for Rikku, was alarming. "Let's go."

"To Zanarkand?" Lulu questioned.

"Where else?!" Rikku grinned.

"I don't think we have much choice," Yuna decided. It was either Zanarkand or the edges of the farplane. And as far as getting back, well, that hardly seemed plausible at the moment.

Glancing to each other only for affirmation, the four made sure they were all adequately armed before heading down the other side of the bank towards the city (though Yuna was still missing one sandal, which certainly wasn't much help in the snow). There was only some hundred yards between them and, ignoring how the snow froze their light clothes and skin, they soon found themselves up against the barrier.

A barrier that wouldn't let them through.

"It's like metal or something," Rikku commented as she tapped it carelessly. It looked almost like a liquid, but when touched acted like a solid. It was strange, but did them no harm. It just didn't allow them to pass through.

"Well, maybe there's a door somewhere, ya?" Wakka suggested. They feared, however, that they'd freeze before they could find such a thing, if it existed.

However, as it would turn out, that was the least of their worries.

"Freeze, don't move!" the voice took them all aback and, turning to the right, they watched as a single solider approached. He wasn't like any soldier they'd ever seen, sporting heavy armor in gold with dark blue undertones. His weapon, too, was foreign, though it appeared to be some kind of gun. The odd thing was, however, that he was on the _other_ side of the barrier, just visible through the slight transparency. "Come any closer and you're done for." His voice was slightly muffled.

Yuna, glancing back at her companions, tried to come up with something to say, but was beat to it by Lulu.

"We don't mean to harm you," the older of the three women assured. "So please, don't shoot." Could a bullet even get through the barrier to begin with?

"I'm not going to shoot you," he stated, now standing directly in front of them. He sounded uncertain however, and young. "You… you touch the shell and you'll be zapped into nothing so just… go back to where you came from fiends!"

They all looked at each other.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Rikku asked with a cocked eyebrow, the solider turning his gun on her despite how he'd already decided not to shoot them. "Nothing happened when I touch it." Reaching out, she tapped the barrier again, rewarded with a sound similar to steel.

The solider with the gun gaped.

"H-h-how are you doing that?" he asked, his voice rising an octave. "Fiends! What trickery is this?!" He was waving his gun around rather erratically.

"We're not fiends, ya," Wakka tried to assure. "We're still alive."

The solider narrowed his eyes.

"That's impossible," he deduced after a moment of thought. "Only fiends approach the shell from the outside. Your disguise as humans doesn't fool me!" He seemed to be determined not to believe them and Lulu sighed.

"Listen," Yuna tried. "We're not…" she was trying to put the pieces together. "This shield," she started. "It's up to keep fiends out?" The solider nodded quickly and Yuna deduced that he was must be very, _very_ young to give out such info. "Because your… city, it's been being attacked?"

"Yes," he verified. "Fiends in the shape of people. They tried to overrun us." It was beginning to make sense. Glancing at one another, the summoner and her guardians contemplated what this meant.

"So the people in this Zanarkand aren't dead then?" Rikku questioned.

"Well… Tidus wasn't so…" Wakka rubbed his temples.

"So these people," Lulu started. "They're whole city was somehow… sent to the Farplane, but they're not… properly dead…"

"And now the dead here in the Farplane are waging war on them," Yuna finished.

"They're surrounded…" Rikku's eyes bugged. "And we're stuck out here…" They tried not to focus on that.

"Listen," Yuna turned back to the guard, who was looking more and more uneasy by the moment. "We're not fiends. We're from… from Spira." He narrowed his eyes, most likely not understanding what she was saying. After all, Tidus hadn't known what Spira was. "Your city, before now, what were the borders like?"

"It was… well… I don't know," he decided. "I never… never thought to look." He resituated his gun more comfortably to shoot at them.

"So… Zanarkand was your whole world?" Yuna asked and, though he didn't quite understand what she meant, he nodded in affirmation. "Well, we… we're from a different part of your world." A lie, she thought, but it might be more likely to convince this kid. "About a year ago, that's when your city was attacked, right? That was when… this," she gestured around her, "showed up at your borders?"

"Yes…" he seemed to be getting more and more suspicious of them. "How do you know that, fiends?!"

Rikku rolled her eyes.

"Your city, it's been separated from the rest of the world," again, not true, but the ideas were coming faster into Yuna's head than she could comprehend. "We're from another part of that world. From an island called Besaid. We're here to… to help you." Hopefully, if there was anything they could do. Because this was certainly a predicament to be in, stuck in the Farplane waging war with the dead. It was a battle they could never win.

"I've never heard of it…" the solider defended, though he sounded far less stubborn and much more uncertain.

"I know that," Yuna replied. "But you have to trust me." Reaching out, she laid her hands on the shell. "We're not fiends."

The solider fidgeted, seeming uneasy.

"Can you… let us in?" Could they even do that? Yuna didn't know.

"I… I have to talk to my superior," he finally decided. "I have to…" Backing away, he started to retreat, Yuna wanting to object. But before she could, he was gone, the five of them left to the cold and wrath of the dead, should they choose to show their faces.

"Great," Rikku huffed. "What if his 'superior' doesn't believe us? What if they gun us down where we stand?" She was more irritated than anything, and they shivered, which wasn't improving any of their moods.

"I wonder how they made this though, ya?" Wakka asked, staring contemplatively up at the shield. "Some kind of machina?"

"Not any machina I've ever seen…" Rikku decided.

"It's like armor," Lulu observed.

"Yes, protecting the city," Yuna muttered quietly. "The fayth, in Gagazet. Yu Yevon, he'd been calling to them, summoning them to create Zanarkand…" She narrowed her eyes. "What if… what if this shield is…?"

"Something else the fayth are being summoned to create?" Lulu caught onto her train of thought.

Yes…" Struck with the idea, Yuna fell down on her knees before the shield. Ignoring how the snow chilled her, she allowed her arms to form the familiar motions of a prayer and, eyes closed, calmed her nerves and searched.

Searched, as she had so many times before, for the voice that would call her to the fayth's side. Because that was how a summoner got in contact with the aeons. They searched for that voice both in the cloisters and, after earning their rights to call, inside themselves. If she could locate a voice, then perhaps she could speak with the fayth.

The spirits of them were so close however, and so numerous, that she was quickly filled with the sensations of their words, as strongly as she'd felt it in Gagazet during her pilgrimage. It was a feeling she'd never forget and, more desperate for the companionship of an aeon than she'd realized, she opened up herself to the souls as soon as they sensed her presence.

_Lady Yuna_… They seemed to coo and she felt a smile trace her lips.

Opening her eyes, she was rewarded then with the sight of a young man, dressed in purple, his eyes hidden from her. The pyreflies plagued him, as they always did fayth, and Yuna recognized him immediately.

"Bahamut," she murmured.

"High Summoner Yuna," he greeted and prayed to her in return. A sign of respect the fayth had never so willingly bestowed upon her before. "You heard our call…"

"I…" She hadn't. "You were calling for me?" There was no point in hiding it. She hadn't had any connection to the fayth, so why should she have heard them? The thought, though honest, pained her. How long had they been wanting her attention?

Behind her, her friends listened and watched with rapt attentiveness.

"Yes," he nodded. "Things have not… gone as we'd hoped they would…" He shook his head, a great depression seeming to weigh on his shoulders. "The dream… we tried to dissolve it, but there's nowhere for it to go…" He sighed. "The Farplane is not… big enough for so many souls. And we fear that Spira would be in danger if we…"

"Is there anything to be done?" Yuna asked, her own heart dropping at what he said.

"If there is a solution, then we don't know it," he verified. "And we cannot allow the dream that we created," the people, "to be ravaged by the dead. I sense so much fear from them since Sin vanished. There's nothing to protect them… anymore…"

"Why then…" Yuna took a deep breath. "If you don't know what to do, then why did you call to me? What can I do?" He looked at her then, a kind of desperation swimming in his deep, wizened, yet still childish features.

"You found a different way once before," he stated hopefully. "Perhaps… perhaps…" His voice died, his eyes falling to the ground, and Yuna knew exactly what he was saying. He hadn't called to her because they knew what she had to do, but because they themselves had no idea. She and her guardians had proven capable of almost freeing them. Perhaps, if they set their minds to it, they might yet succeed.

She, her friends, they were the fayth's only hope…

"Is there a way you can let us in?" Yuna asked after some few more moments of silence. "Into the city?"

"Yes," he nodded adamantly, no doubt taking her question as verification that they were going to try. "I can open a path for you." Nodding, Yuna stood to her feet then, abruptly aware of how cold she really was. Turning away from her, Bahamut reached out and, hand coming in contact with the shell, used whatever power he possessed to disintegrate a hole in the barrier just large enough for a person to walk through. Glancing back at them, he nodded and, thankful to get out of the snow, they all hastily stepped through.

"I cannot stay with you much longer," he explained as he closed the barrier once more. "I must return to my duty. I must protect the city." He seemed to be fading, pulled away perhaps, and Yuna felt her heart continue to drop at the plight of the fayth. "Do not fear," he tried to get out one last message. "There are those that can help you…" His words faded as well and soon he was gone.

But, at least, they were now on the other side of the barrier.

Turning back to the city, they all set their sights on admiring it, on figuring out their next move, but were soon interrupted.

"How did you get inside the shell?!" It was the same solider from before, only this time he was flanked by four others, all of them with their guns raised and ready to fire.

"Ah…" Rikku, like the rest of them, tried to come up with something quick to say before they were attacked. "Well, Yuna's a summoner," Rikku continued to babble. "She pulled the shield down with her… summoning powers." Did these people even know what a summoner was?

"A summoner?" one of the other soldiers stated, his reaction revealing nothing of his knowledge to the intruders, who were careful to keep their hands off their weapons. Though, they supposed, if they were careful, they could probably take on these soldiers. They'd fought off plenty worse. It was probably better, however, not to cause trouble.

"Not even summoners can lower the shield," another soldier decided.

"Well, I didn't exactly do it myself," Yuna tried to be honest. "I asked the fayth to let us in…"

"Fayth? What are you talking about? What rubbish is this?"

"You… don't know what a fayth is?" Lulu asked, the silence that followed seeming answer enough. "How do you people think this shield got here in the first place?" Still nothing. "You have no idea, do you…?"

"Enough talk!" one of them barked. "You… you're under arrest! So don't… don't move!"

"So, how long have you guys been soldiers anyway?" Rikku asked, ignoring their attempts at being threatening.

"A few mont-"

"Don't answer them!"

"Sorry…"

Yuna, as well as everyone else in her party, tried to hide their skepticism.

"Like I said, you're all under arrest so… come with me! We're taking you to the general!" Slowly approaching, the soldiers surrounded them and, with the good graces of having prisoners who weren't intent on causing a commotion, began to escort them into the city still fully armed.

And seeing as they had absolutely no idea where they were headed or even what to do or what to look for, they all went along willingly, unbeknownst to the soldiers escorting them. They were still, however, as far as the main part of the city, still on the outskirts, and were being escorted into what looked like a military camp littered with fancy, mechanical tents and other machina Yuna couldn't even begin to comprehend.

They eventually came to what looked like a broad platform and, after being encouraged by the soldiers, stepped up on top of it.

"Headquarters," one of the men said and, beginning to softly buzz, the platform rose a few inches before slowly beginning to move. Gaining speed, it started to zoom them off down a path circling the outside of the city. Transportation like nothing any of the intruders had ever seen.

"Whoa…" was all that was heard from Wakka, the rest of them silent and gawking as they were given a plain view of the outskirts of the city. A city that was so vast and huge that they still had no idea what make of it. Or how to even digest its presence before them. Yuna, rather, was feeling quite dizzy with it all, as she'd always predicted she would if she ever saw it.

Soon enough however, the lift was slowing, the five turning around and away from the city to see where they'd stopped. There, suspended by forces they couldn't understand, was a floating, machina tent, only this one was much larger than the others around it. It was marked with symbols none of them understood, though were reminiscent of their own written texts.

"That's the general's tent," one of the soldiers explained as they approached. "You all… wait out here. I'll go get him." The head soldier, or at least the one in charge of the others, went into the tent, vanishing behind a kind of shimmering cloth that vanished when he approached and reappeared once he was through.

The group glanced at each other, but didn't say anything. Mostly, they were hoping they didn't get thrown in jail. Though, if they were suspected of being fiends, they'd probably be killed on the spot. And if they weren't, well then, what had they done wrong? Other than end up outside the shell. A phenomenon that, apparently, common soldiers didn't understand if their lack of knowledge on the fayth said anything.

Well, if worst came to worst, they'd gotten out of much stiffer circumstances.

A few moments later, the soldier reemerged. And following him, far more dressed down in a mere black pants, boots, and a red sweater, wasn't who they'd assumed was the general, but a man they recognized nonetheless.

A man that should have been dead. And definitely not looking ten years younger than the last time they'd seen him.

"Auron!" They all gasped at the same time.

Blinking, his _two_ good eyes widened at seeing them, he just as shocked to find them there as they were to find him.

"Yuna," his gravelly voice addressed. "Wakka, Lulu. Rikku." He shook his head. "How did you get here?"

"How did _you_ get here?" Rikku asked rather harshly. "And why are you so young? You're supposed to be d-"

"Well I'm not," Auron quickly cut in, silencing her and then casting her as much of a warning look as he could muster. Rikku seemed to take the hint, but remained sulky about it.

They all quickly remembered that the soldiers were listening in however and, lips pursing, Auron cleared his throat.

"I'm taking the prisoners in with me," he decided. "The rest of you get back to your posts." Obviously let down about not getting details about the mysterious intruders, the soldiers slowly did as told, lacking in all good discipline and emotional restraint that was normally needed in a seasoned fighter.

"Come inside," was all Auron said before turning and heading back into the tent. Wasting no time, the others followed, only mystified for a moment by the strange vanishing door.

Inside, it was bright and vibrant, much the opposite of how they would have expected a place where Auron was staying to be. But, he was also a general (apparently) and had dozens of screens lining the interior walls, digital maps, floating tables, and, well, they all gave off a kind of glowing blue light of their own, so perhaps there was no getting away from it.

"Ohmygosh I can't believe you're _alive_!" Rikku was on him within moments however, much to the older (younger?) man's obvious surprise. She tackled him quite sufficiently and had he been a smaller man, he might have toppled at the contact. Instead he stumbled a bit, unsure what to make of the young woman wrapping her arms around his middle and attempting to suffocate him.

"I'm not sure if that's the correct way to view things," he stated coldly, but Rikku hardly seemed to care. She was too busy being far too happy to see him considering how little they'd gotten along when he'd been alive. Perhaps they'd had their moments however. Rikku wasn't alone in being glad to see him. Both Wakka and Yuna were smiling despite themselves, even Lulu grinning slightly.

"I don't understand how this is possible," Lulu shook her head. "You weren't a dream of the fayth." Thus, he should, by all logic, be one of the "fiends" the locals wanted to keep out.

"No, certainly not," Auron agreed while at the same time prying Rikku off of him, who jumped up and down excitedly and refused to leave his side despite how he eyed her uncomfortably. "However, when things… went off course, the fayth made a few recruitments in an effort to try and find a solution."

"So they… brought you back to life?" Yuna furrowed her eyebrows. "Back to life… younger?"

"Not exactly," Auron shook his head. "It's more like they dreamed me back into existence. And this is what I looked like when I died, so…" Perhaps he didn't quite understand it either, though his young skin and bright eyes, and the not-graying hair, did throw them all for a bit of a loop.

"So… you are a dream then?" It was such an odd concept and Rikku frowned as she questioned it.

"I, honestly, don't know what I am," he sighed, sounding far older than he probably should, but perhaps he'd always been that way. Scruffy and worn, aged beyond what he ought even in youthful appearance. "I'm here now however, so."

Silence fell on the group for a moment then, as if they were taking it all in, the incredible things that had happened in so short an amount of time. It was continually difficult however, and none of them could really wrap their heads around it.

Yuna gave in however, deciding there wasn't much she could do in the way of understanding, but still she felt a welling kind of pleasure. "Sir Auron," she drew his attention. "I'm so glad to see you."

Auron's expression softened slightly. "I'm glad to see you as well Yuna." He nodded to the other three then, though blatantly ignored Rikku, who "heyed" in protest, but was still bypassed. "I still don't understand how you all got here however." He narrowed his eyes. "You're not… dead… are you?"

"No," Lulu assured civilly. "We actually came here… somewhat by accident. Because of whatever is going on here, the Farplane has become unstable. We were asked to come look at it and, well, we went through and this is where we ended up." The short version of the story.

"I see," Auron sounded moderately displeased. "I'd wondered if this whole ordeal was affecting Spira. I had hoped not…"

"It's not done anything detrimental yet," Yuna assured. "But… that could change I suppose…" If things, this battle Zanarkand was caught up in, got out of control.

"How'd you become a general, ya?"

Auron scoffed, almost laughed, and shook his head. "When Sin was defeated, Zanarkand was thrown into turmoil. Buildings disappearing and reappearing, people fading in and out. Everyone was in a panic until, finally, things seemed to settle here, in the Farplane. Only a select few of us understood, sort of, what was going on. We tried to explain, but Zanarkand's leaders feared the truth might be too much for the people, they hardly believe it themselves, so instead of explaining it, they put about getting military action and asked those of us in the know to be in charge. Everything is still in disarray in the city. People are terrified of what happened, of being attacked. It's a fear this Zanarkand has never had to even consider before."

"Which is why all your soldiers are so inexperienced," Rikku deduced.

"I'm working on it," Auron didn't even look at her.

"Who… who is… 'we?'" Yuna asked hesitantly.

"Ah," Auron pursed his lips. "That is, Jecht and I…" he looked as though he wanted to say more, but refrained.

"Then… Tidus… He's not here?" Yuna's voice had quieted considerably.

"Tidus?" Auron sighed and shook his head. "If he is, I haven't run into him. Neither has Jecht. I suppose he must be – we waited for him when Yu Yevon was sent, but after… everything… I don't know where he ended up." He paused. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Yuna smiled softly. "I wasn't expecting anything." How could she? This whole… ordeal was so far beyond her.

"Jecht's been looking for him to, as have I…" Auron added, sounding somewhat sad himself. "I'm sure he'll turn up eventually." Yuna didn't reply, simply nodded and allowed her eyes to fall to the ground. She didn't want to think about him anymore; she willed herself to still be angry with him, but the feeling… it faded more and more everyday until all she could do was…

…miss him…

"So you all were able to walk through the Farplane to get here?" Auron asked, probably trying to change the subject.

"I suppose you could say that," Lulu replied. "It wasn't exactly that simple. Rather, it was… quite uncomfortable."

"Like being sucked through a tunnel at unimaginable speeds?" Auron asked.

"Something like that," she affirmed with a small smile, a response to his knowing look.

"It's kinda weird, ya know?" Wakka started soon after. "To actually… be here. I mean, I guess I kinda assumed it was all real, somehow, after a while… but…"

"Yes, Zanarkand was quite a shock for me initially as well," Auron's eyes fell to the side, his expression taking on something akin to thoughtful recollection. "You get used to it however. The people and society. And I won't lie, it was nice not having to worry about Sin or fiends all the time." Obviously, some of that has changed as of late.

"That's right, you and Tidus knew each other before," Lulu observed.

"Yes," Auron nodded. "I lived in Zanarkand for ten years. For three of those years, I knew Tidus' mother, and after she died, I looked after him." He glanced back at the group, though his lips had tightened. It would appear that, despite his lack of admittance, he was just as concerned about Tidus' whereabouts as any of them.

"So, you were kind of like a father to him," Rikku observed and Auron scoffed a chuckle in his typical way.

"I doubt that," he admitted. "Tidus' views on fathers aren't exactly what most would consider positive. I'd rather not he affiliate me with the idea." His words were guarded, but upon considering Tidus' hard feelings towards Jecht, it was probably safe to assume that Auron was attempting to say that he liked to think Tidus preferred him to his father. He had, after all, raised the boy for nearly as long as Jecht had, to much greater effect, if Tidus' say on how Jecht had previously acted held any weight.

Yuna wondered if the point was a sore spot between Sir Auron and Sir Jecht, or if perhaps they'd reconciled to the fact of the matter. She supposed it wasn't her place to judge.

Rather, she'd prefer the subject of Tidus be dropped. If he was there, in that… realm, he was keeping his distance from his family, which meant she was unlikely to see him. And even if she were, what would be the point? Much like he hadn't belonged in Spira, she didn't belong in Zanarkand. Perhaps it was better to just assume they'd never be together.

It was easier that way, wasn't it?

"So you and Sir Jecht are leadin' this, uh, military operation then?" Wakka asked, arms crossing over his chest.

"Yes, though I'm sure Jecht is back home by now," Auron observed with a sigh. "He's not exactly one for working late hours." If he was irritated at the thought, it didn't show. Whatever Jecht's faults, Auron was no doubt accustomed to them at this point.

"Home?" Rikku asked curiously, Auron finally glancing down at her.

"Yes," he nodded once. "You think I'd live in this city for ten years and not have a place of my own? And as far as Jecht," he looked to the rest of the group, "he's the type that lounges around in other people's places, so he's probably eating my food and racking up my electric bill as we speak."

"Electric… bill?" Yuna cocked her head to the side and Auron didn't satisfy her with a response.

"So…" Rikku pulled her hands behind her back and smiled as wide as she could up at Auron, who sighed in response to such an expression. "If you've got a place to stay, then…"

"Then you all have a place to stay as well," he determined, though he didn't sound that incredibly happy about it. "In fact, I'd assume you're all ready to retire by now." He didn't have to get an answer to see it. Though they had all been pumped through with adrenaline upon arriving, he could see their energy waning as a result of the trip between there and Spira. "It's about time for me to leave anyway," he added.

"We wouldn't want to impose on your home," Lulu started the expected pleasantries, Yuna shaking her head in ironic agreement with her. "If you just directed us towards an inn, then-"

"Lulu," Auron cocked a single eyebrow. "I may not be a sentimental man, but I've got enough sense to know that we're family. You're all welcome in my home." That seemed to silence the subject and, going around the tent and gathering up a few things, Auron soon seemed to shut down his post and head for the door. The others followed, waiting while Auron alerted those below his status about his departure. Soon they were headed across the camp, the newcomers finding their eyes continually drawn to the city and its towering, seemingly impossible architecture.

"How far up does it go, ya?" Wakka asked quietly, probably more to himself than anything, but Auron felt obliged to answer anyway.

"Zanarkand stretches, at length, some fifteen jils in both directions, at its most urban center, and it's divided into three sections vertically. The bottom level is the entertainment district, home to restaurants, inns, concerts, parks, museums. The second level is the business district. The higher you are, generally the more successful. This is known as skyspace. Skyspace is considered a rather important commodity and determines a kind of social status that's… significant." He sounded as if the idea was quite beyond him, or below him perhaps. "The third level, and highest most point, is where the rich residential live, in apartments or skyhouses. Those of the working class generally live in their buildings or on the same level as their work. Much of the third level is reserved for celebrities, athletes, politicians, those with money to spare."

"Where are _we_ headed?" Rikku asked from her position bouncing beside Auron.

"The third tier," he replied easily.

"Ohhhh," she cooed. "So you have a fancy skyhouse then?"

"I do, though I didn't get it of my own accord. Rather… Tidus bought it for me some three years ago." This information came across as rather surprising to some. Tidus, upon coming to Spira, had been ignorant, sure, and inexperienced, but he'd never displayed any kind of attitude, proud or pompous, that would allude to him having money.

"How'd he afford that?" Wakka asked curiously.

"In Zanarkand," Auron continued, "those providing entertainment value are very… highly paid. Tidus shot to stardom as a blitzball player at sixteen and was making some one million gil a game by the end of his first season." Jaws dropped all around him. "It's not uncommon for musicians, athletes, actors, to be paid as much."

"But… we barely got paid anything to play blitz…" Wakka stuttered as they continued on through the camp.

"Yes, well, Spira played blitzball out of a desperation for something to… erase the sorrow," Auron went on, clearing his throat as if unaccustomed to talking so. "It was more of an honor and obligation. Here, blitzball is a talent, one that people pay lots of money to see, to bet on. It creates a small economy all its own. In Zanarkand alone, there are eight professional teams, and dozens of amateur teams hoping to make it into the higher league. It's a… very different game than you're used to."

"So does Tidus have a… house in the sky too?" Rikku asked curiously, Yuna once again frustrated by the subject. Or perhaps it was just depressing to her.

"Oddly enough, no," Auron replied. "Tidus lives on the edge of the city in a small boathouse that had once belonged to Jecht. Or at least he used to. He wasn't exactly the type to spend needlessly."

"He never did complain about what little means we had during the pilgrimage," Lulu observed.

"Growing up into an orphan that's left nothing will do that," Auron replied. "Jecht, though wealthy himself at one point, wasn't very good with his money, nor was Tidus' mother. They left him nothing." Did he sound bitter on the fact? Yuna couldn't tell…

"Why'd he buy you a house then?" Rikku badgered.

"I think he was under the impression that he was doing a good deed," Auron chuckled. "He thought of me as a hopeless foreigner, what with my constant amazement at Zanarkand, and gave it to me as a gift. Besides that, Tidus is always the type more apt to give than to take." Demanding, a bit of a crybaby, and ignorant he very well might be, but greedy he most certainly wasn't. At least, not for material things.

"You seem a lot more relaxed, you know?" Rikku observed, never leaving Auron's side. "You're talking more now than you ever did during the pilgrimage." She frowned, as if the change in him should be some kind of personal affront.

"I had a lot more on my mind then," he replied shortly.

"And you don't now?" Rikku countered, referring to the displacement issue of the whole city.

"It's different," he defended. "Zanarkand is… easy. In a lot of respects that Spira is not. Everything in Spira is… hard, and bare. Despite everything that's happening, it's hard to find anything here remotely… stressful when compared to life in Spira."

"You sound as if you prefer it here," Yuna commented.

"Hmph," he shrugged, adding no more.

The conversation came to a subject change then, Auron pausing before a single, strange machina sitting amongst hundreds of others, all of them stacked across the area evenly and kept within the boundaries of blue lines on either side. He then pulled some kind of remote from his pocket, clicked it, and one of the machina, one very close to the edge of the lot, seemed to light into life.

"What is it?" Wakka asked dumbly.

"A car," Auron stated simply, explaining no more as he approached the thing. The others followed, Rikku more excited than the others.

"These are the mini airships we can see flying around up there," she commented, gesturing to the city above them where similar machines flew back and forth.

"That's one way to look at them," Auron agreed. "It'd going to be a tight fit however," he added as he went alongside the "car." Pulling open the back door, he nodded to them, the others approaching slowly before peering in. "Two in the back, two in the middle," he issued, no one invited into the passenger. Climbing in, Rikku and Yuna took the back, and Wakka and Lulu the middle.

Going around to the driver's side, Auron let himself in before tapping into the machina at the front of the car. A screen lit up and after a few different tapped combinations, something wholly unexpected happened. The top of the car vanished.

"Whoa…" Wakka again.

"You're going to be automatically buckled in," Auron warned as he took the remote he'd had previously and placed it inside a small pocket at the front of the car. Upon doing so, they felt the machine lift up into the air slightly, all of them tensing at the loss of solid ground. At the same moment, shining silver belts shot out across their chests, locking them in place.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Rikku shouted up to Auron, her nervousness clearly apparent.

"I have a license that says I do," he replied smartly before, somehow beyond all their knowledge, commanding the car into action. Resulting in gasps and yelps coming from everyone besides himself, Auron shot the machine straight up vertically, the ground zooming away below them.

"Oh Yevon," Rikku moaned in the backseat. "I like the airship a lot better." The others all quite agreed. This "car" was so small and… exposed. It couldn't possibly be safe.

"You'll get used to it," Auron commented, the vertical assentation slowing until they were left floating in midair. They weren't as high as they could go, but Auron was then pushing the thing into the city, the car accelerating into forward momentum. Without a hitch, it was merged into the back and forth traffic of the others of its kind, Auron able to command it into rules and regulations that apparently everyone else in Zanarkand were following, but that the newcomers couldn't even begin to comprehend.

They continually picked up speed, quite caught up in the shadows of the looming city as they busied around one building or another. The group was silent, all glancing around and gawking in shock as they peered at level upon level of incredible urbanization. Aside from the sight however, they were assaulted by lights, signs, sounds, music – it was dizzying. A city built on speed.

"Lu…" Wakka shook his head. "Is this what all the cities in Spira used to look like?"

She couldn't find him an answer.

They were soon, after following and passing other cars, coming up on a strange, open space. There, as they watched, people sat in their cars and, after getting some signal that none of them could decipher, shot vertically up into the air much like Auron had before. Waiting in line until it was their turn to do something similar, they all waited with baited breath for their car to shoot upwards.

Many of them had their hands clenched tightly to their seats.

Auron got the signal however and, without so much as a warning to his passengers, he shot the car up again, the machine flying on and through the air without any attempt at effort. Soon, though, they were heading forward again, a level higher in the Zanarkand skyway.

"I think I'm going to be sick…" Lulu muttered.

"Look down at the floor," Auron offered. "It can be a little hard to take the first few times." He himself had gotten violently sick in a taxi his first few weeks in Zanarkand, but they didn't need to know that.

"What tier are we in?!" Rikku shouted up to the front of the car.

"Top level of Tier One," Auron replied coldly. There was still so much of the city above their heads that they couldn't even see the sky anymore, so enveloped were they by the buildings. They kept going however, flying for some thirty minutes with Auron occasionally coming upon the strange open spaces where cars were allowed to shoot up. They passed similar areas where cars were falling back down, the idea of having to do that making nearly all of them sick to their stomachs.

They soon got so high that clouds were drifting in-between the buildings. Though, somehow, by some kind of invisible forcefield, the fog was kept from the paths where the cars traveled, thus no vision was impaired. In Zanarkand, they apparently thought of everything.

"Are we almost there?" Rikku asked as they finished one more shooting rise in elevation.

"It's just around this corner," Auron verified and, within the moment, the car was coming to a slow halt, pulling off the skyway where others traveled and onto a transparent, glass-like landing protruding from a lightened structure stretching some three stories up ahead of them. It's base, though empty of windows, was attached to the top of the building below. They soon came to realize that this was how houses were built in the top tier, stacked and connected to those around. Above their own area were more, though they could now make out chunks of sky.

Slowly filing out of the car, they recovered their stomachs as they followed Auron across the transparent landing. There was another car parked there as well, but they didn't ask, too distracted by the house and city to care much about anything else.

"What if… what if you fell…?" Yuna asked, her body chilling at the thought.

Auron chuckled. "There are invisible forcefields all around. Were anyone to fall, they'd be quickly caught and able to be retrieved. Though you cannot see it, Zanarkand is crisscrossed with these sorts of defenses." He paused. "You're all quite safe," was his last assurance as they headed down a narrow, borderless pathway that led up to a similarly transparent, glass-like balcony lining the bottom level of the house.

Auron went straight to the door, letting himself in without a problem and beckoning the others in after him. Eyes ever curious, they all took in as much as possible. The circular shape to the building, the glass-like stairs spiraling gracefully up the middle. The floors were flat white, the walls the same aside from the gracious windows lining all the way around. There were delicately decorated rugs; red, curving furniture. Stainless steel tables and appliances. Everything was clean and well kept; stylized to the last coaster.

It was, needless to say, a very nice place.

Laying the things he'd brought with him down on a table they passed by, a dining table perhaps, Auron gestured that they were welcome to the house in all its forms, perhaps about ready to explain and provide a tour. Whether it be fortunate or not however, they were interrupted before such a display could take place.

"'Bout time you got home," the gruff, deep voice echoed from the second floor, Yuna's ears ringing with its familiar tone. For she, other than Auron, was the only one who'd know who he was by ear. "Got here two hours ago," he kept saying, his voice drifting closer, "and you don't have any beer, by the way, so I'm _assuming_ you picked some up on your way here." His footsteps echoed above them until they hit the stairs, his scarred, tanned legs soon making an appearance as he descended to the first floor.

Auron sighed.

"If I had any beer, it was because you brought it," he reasoned. "And then drank it all yourself. In any case, I have guests, so I'd appreciate it if you were on your best behavior." By this time, the man they all realized was Sir Jecht had reached the bottom of the stairs. He was staring at them from behind tanned, leather skin, his long gray hair pulled back in a thick ponytail. His red eyes were narrowed, his chest shirtless and his bottom half sporting only a pair of ratted jeans.

He really did look nothing like his son.

He was quiet for a moment, surveying them, and most of the newcomers shrank under his piercing stare. He was, after all, a man they'd all fought to destroy as well as a legendary guardian. As these thoughts filtered through their heads, Jecht seemed to come upon the realization as well, his eye abruptly wide as his mouth fell open.

"Yuna…?" was all he managed to sputter out, seeing as he didn't know the names of any of the rest of them, at least not in accordance with their faces. Sure, Auron had talked about them some, but never in great amounts of detail. And Jecht had never had much interest in knowing any more.

He had his own issues to deal with…

"Hello Sir Jecht," Yuna replied respectfully, bowing once. "It's good to see you again."

"Uh, yeah…" He seemed rather shocked, Yuna supposing she'd have to take over the exchange.

"I'm not sure if you remember," she continued, "but these are my friends and were once my guardians." She turned to her companions before introducing them all accordingly, each of them bowing in turn.

"Yeah, I remember," Jecht eventually managed to say, blinking away his shock. "But… what are you doing here?"

And so, with Lulu leading the charge, their appearance in Zanarkand was explained once more, Auron standing by idly all the while and offering no assistance to either Jecht or the others. Not that any of them were surprised. Sure, he could talk when he wanted to, but when he didn't, it wasn't worth trying to coax it out of him.

"So…" Jecht rubbed his temples, "what's happening here is affecting Spira?"

"Unfortunately," Lulu verified. "We were only investigating, but…" She glanced around the house, as if to accentuate their presence there.

"Well," Jecht crossed his arms over his chest, "I never would have imagined." His gaze fell back to Yuna then, his expression softening greatly. "I couldn't really see you clearly the last time we met, but you've grown up beautifully Yuna." She smiled, but said nothing on the compliment. She was, quite honestly, too taken with the absurdity of what they were doing to add to casual conversation. There they were, among those who had once been dead as if it were normal. She and all of her friends were rather beyond knowing what to think.

"What's going on down there?" a high-pitched, female voice echoed from the level Jecht had appeared from, all of them glancing up. Aside from Jecht that was, who's shoulders tensed and mouth tightened. "Who are you talking to?"

She was a very pretty woman they all noted as she came down the stairs to join them. Her figure was pleasing and tacked with yellow capris and an orange tank top. She had big blue eyes and golden hair that fell down past her shoulders. Despite the illogic of it, they all knew who this woman was despite not being told. Not only had Yuna seen her once in the Farplane, but her features spoke for themselves.

Tidus didn't look anything like his father because he was a carbon copy of his mother.

"Who are these people?" she asked quite blatantly as she glanced up at Jecht. With them standing side by side, it became apparent that there was a considerable age difference between them, Jecht seeming uncomfortable as he glanced down at her. He was a fair bit older than Auron even, being in his fifties, but this woman was probably only in her late thirties, a few years older than Auron perhaps.

Though, considering when all these people had died (and how young Auron looked), perhaps age was no longer of any consequence.

"These are…" Jecht tried to explain. "Auron's friends from… Spira…"

"Spira?" she said the word as if it were disgusting, her arms crossing over her chest as she cocked a single brow at them. She was, above all, looking quite displeased. "I thought you were all done with that place," she glanced then to Auron before focusing back on Jecht. "It sounded terrible."

Yuna blinked, but didn't say anything.

"Ah, well," Jecht tried to laugh it all off. "They're just… visiting…" She was glaring at the newcomers by then, the room falling silent as she did. A few moments later however, she "hmphed" and turned away, sauntering back up the stairs without so much as a polite word to any of them.

"Well she was fun," Rikku commented sourly.

"Er, well," Jecht sighed, staring after her before turning back to them. "She… when she heard that it was Spira I went to when I disappeared originally, she… formed unfortunate ideas…" In other words, she was hostile because she viewed them as being part of whatever it'd been that had stolen her husband away from her.

"She's your wife, correct?" Lulu asked and Jecht nodded. "And… Tidus' mother?" Upon his name being brought up however, a great weight fell across the room, Jecht's expression becoming cold and distant.

"Yes, she is," he verified, apparently intent on keeping things simple.

"So… why is she here?" Yuna, sensing it'd be easy to change the subject after so huge a shift in mood in the room, tried to turn things away from a certain young man. Perhaps more so for her own benefit.

"You mean, why is she… alive?" Jecht asked, though it was questionable if that was really what they were. Not even they knew however, so it was hardly worth pondering over. "I think the fayth thought they were doing me a favor in bringing her back too. Maybe makin' up for what they dragged me into." He crossed his arms over his chest, Yuna observing that perhaps he hadn't appreciated the decision. She'd never learned a whole lot about Tidus' family life, but she did then find herself wondering if there was more to it than she'd imagined.

"She seemed… nice…" Wakka tried to offer and Jecht rolled his eyes, just as aware of how unpleasant she'd been as the rest of them. "Looks a lot like, uh…" Was it okay for them to talk about Tidus or not?

"Yes, she does," Jecht almost snapped, turning on his heel and walking across the room. There, scarred and beaten back facing them, he grabbed a glass and filled it from a bottle that had been sitting on the counter. A fine, copper colored liquid slipped out.

Yuna looked away.

"I don't have enough guest rooms for everyone," Auron started a few seconds later, as if to, perhaps, change the subject. "But I can pick up some extra mattresses so you might share, if that's appropriate to everyone." He knew it would be, seeing as they'd shared far less extra space in the past, but pleasantries were important he supposed, despite how he despised such practices.

From there, things commenced it a rather ordinary fashion. They were given a tour of the house, none of them missing the harsh look Jecht's wife (they'd learned her name was Chere) had cast them when they'd reached the second level. Auron designated their sleeping quarters, the group splitting up between two rooms accordingly. By the time this was done, there was food downstairs, Jecht having "ordered out" for everyone. They were treated to interesting, exotic foods, things only Zanarkand could provide, as well as an array of deserts.

Jecht, who'd joined them despite how his wife had refused too, was far more animated than he had been upon first being introduced. There was a rosiness to his cheeks however that Yuna suspected stemmed from drink, though the subject was never broached. And afterwards, much to Wakka's thrilled excitement, the retired blitz star took him over to the "television" where they watched highlights of the Abes last season.

Tidus hadn't been present on the team.

Lulu joined them soon after, Rikku volunteering to help Auron in the kitchen. Chere never came downstairs.

Yuna, uncertain whether she was truly tired or just overwhelmed, eventually retreated to the balcony at the back of the house. There, she gazed out across the city, at the layers and layers of skyhouses and the winding streets between. It was oddly distracting, the scene, and for a moment she allowed her eyes to daze, her thoughts numb to everything. Sometimes, it was just easier that way…

How long she stood out there, beneath the night sky, she couldn't say. It was inevitable, however, that she be interrupted.

"You must be thinking hard over something," Auron observed as he joined her. "That's the only time you ever retreated like this." He said it almost questioningly however, as he joined her at the balcony. As if to investigate whether her practices were still the same as a year before.

Yuna tried not to sigh.

"Not really," she admitted.

"I wondered about that too," he commented gruffly. "I find that it's easier sometimes to think of nothing at all." He didn't look at her, but she knew he was asking her to elaborate. Perhaps so he might offer some of his irreplaceable wisdom.

"It is easier, yes," was all Yuna gave him however, falling silent once more.

Auron didn't hide his sigh. "You know," he started slowly, "I am an old man. Perhaps not by looks or Zanarkand standards, where everyone lives to be nearly one hundred before… before they fade away, but age is no consequence when expectations predict your future.

"I understand how you're feeling," he continued. "I never expected to live this long, or be forced to, in any case. It's as if I've died twice now. Once, I came back to fulfill promises I willingly made. But this time… this time I thought I was finally going to be able to rest. Instead, like Jecht, the fayth insisted on bringing me back." He was bitter she realized, Yuna's chest dropping at the thought.

"I'm glad… to be able to see you again," she tried.

"And I you," he nodded, "but we both know neither of us had any intention of being here anymore." He glanced down at her then, looking almost amused. "I'm not saying I wish I were dead, but it would be nice if, were I to come back, it wasn't because wars were to be fought.

"But you Yuna, you don't have to be here," he turned to her fully. "You're not prisoner to the fayth's whims as we dead men are. Don't bring this on yourself."

"What am I to do then?" she asked, smiling up at him softly. "My dream of having Sin vanquished from Spira is fulfilled…" And she was still there.

"You find a new dream," he issued, turning back to the city.

"Maybe I don't want to…" she laughed then, allowing her hands to rub at her temples in frustration. "Or maybe I do. I don't know."

Auron, lips tightening, didn't reply at first, trying to choose his words carefully.

"Even if we happened to find him," he eventually started, "there's no guarantee that he could exist on Spira, which is where you _do_ belong." He narrowed his eyes out at the city. "This is a ghost city Yuna. None of these people… none of them know suffering, or loss. They understand a little bit of what fear is now, but still they are shells of what humanity is. You don't want to be a part of this. Not even I or… Jecht want to be. The difference is that we have no choice. It's easier to be here, yes, in Zanarkand, and I think both him and I fall victim to the luxury. But when the past shows it's face, the memories make everything seem… trivial."

Yuna focused down on her hands on the banister. "Does Sir Jecht always drink that much, even now?" Even after he'd supposedly given it up during her father's pilgrimage.

"Jecht, he," Auron took a deep breath. "He drinks to drown his own sorrow. How… how being Sin affected him, I'll never understand. What he saw, what he did, how responsible he feels for it. These are things no one can grasp but him. And then of course there's… Tidus."

Yuna flicked her eyes up at him.

"He feels responsible for dragging him to Spira, though I can't tell if he views that as good or bad. I think he knows that… that it was the fayth that planned this all out. That took him originally to Spira to begin the domino race that would lead them to freedom. It's an odd feeling, being used so by something you know you can't hold a grudge against. Still though, he worries. We all do.

"A whole year and none of us have seen him."

Yuna, jaw tightening, returned her focus to the city.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned myself," his tone dropped some. "Going to Spira and then being here… It makes a person feel displaced. As if they don't belong after seeing so much death and destruction. It's enough to drive a person crazy sometimes, the ignorance of the people here."

"You think he's… gone?" Yuna asked, not entirely sure what she was actually inquiring about.

"Maybe," Auron sighed again. "Though I find that hard to believe. If the fayth brought Jecht and I back to be used, then I have no doubt they're making the most of him as well." He didn't say it resentfully. No, but he was obviously tired. Very, very tired.

"They said they'd been calling to me," Yuna admitted then, eyebrows furrowing. "Though I can't say I know of any way _I_ can help them." She didn't know anything and had allowed herself to be led around blindly by those she'd thought she could trust, Tidus among them. What good could she possibly be? "Sometimes I feel as though I can't help anyone…"

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Auron commented roughly. "It was your determination that started our journey after all."

"I made so many poor choices…"

"That's all part of growing up. Regret serves no one, least of all the one doing the regretting." He caught her eye once more. "You have very little you should regret Yuna, know that well. You carry a heavy burden. One of hope – one not even the fayth can ignore. It's a load that's hard to bear, but do not regret. For those who regret are already dead.

"This place is full of petty regrets and people who refuse to live their lives. But you've done everything right Yuna. Even if sometimes you feel lost in it all."

She smiled at his speech, supposing she should thank him for it even if she couldn't totally understand what he meant. But that was how it always was with Auron. Never a straight answer. Always cryptic.

"How old _are_ you Sir Auron?" the question popped from her lips before she could stop it, the man beside her chuckling lightly.

"I suppose I probably turned thirty-six this year," he replied shortly.

"Six years younger than my father," she observed. "Do you think he had regrets too?"

"I know he does," Auron replied. "Just as you did the day you decided to become a summoner." He paused then, Yuna noticing how his chest heaved, as if he had a great many things to say. "That's actually one of the reasons why I came out to talk to you. Not about regrets," he waved off the subject, "but about your father."

"My father?" she furrowed her brows, her curiosity spiking. Her father was one subject she was never shy to talk about. To be honest, she didn't remember much about him. Most of her memories from back then consisted of missing him. There were a few flashes of them together in the back of her mind, but they faded more and more everyday. Just like all her memories, as if the new ones had to force out the old to make way.

"You need to realize Yuna that when I say everyone in this city is dead, I'm not speaking figuratively," he stated firmly. "Perhaps when a summoner sends, the dreams don't fade away, but that doesn't change the fact. Dreams have to end." Still curious, Yuna cocked her head as she listened, not entirely sure where he was going with this. "The fayth… they've been on this world a long time, tormented by their imprisonment, and will do just about anything at this point to be free of it. For whatever reason, they've got it in their heads that you and us," her friends and Auron and Jecht, "are the only ones capable of doing it. Braska's pilgrimage was, after all, where it all started. They brought Jecht to Spira to fight against Sin, so that when Tidus came, he'd have something to fight for. Or maybe Jecht was their first attempt that ended in failure. I don't know. But it all started eleven years ago, with the three of us.

"So I suppose that's why they think the three of us are important to ending it."

Yuna wasn't slow; she could gather what he was saying.

"My father's here too…" she muttered, turning back to look out at the city. The idea didn't quite sink with her. It didn't seem believable and she had a hard time, despite how she said it, fathoming such a thing to be real. She didn't know what to think, or how to feel. Mostly she felt an odd sort of emptiness – unable to comprehend.

"Your mother too," Auron added, Yuna blinking but unable to offer any sort of response. "But you need to understand that this place is no different than the Farplane. Perhaps they are here, and you may see them, but they're dead Yuna. As dead as they were the first time you beckoned them in the Farplane.

"I'm trying to warn you Yuna," his tone softened. "Do not… get attached to this place. It will only bring you more sorrow. I know that, Jecht knows that, and so does your father. He won't be… pleased to know you're here." Because he was just as unhappy at having been brought back as the rest of them.

Yuna didn't respond however, her eyes trained on the sky as she glanced up. Her thoughts were stalled, as if her brain were shielded and his words couldn't reach inside. How was she supposed to feel? To know that she might see her parents again, talk to them, but that really they're not there? It must be some kind of torture she decided, which was why her mind was refusing to digest it. A cruel, disgusting, teasing truth.

Much like Tidus, she found she didn't want to see her father. Or her mother. None of them. It wasn't worth the pain, speaking to them only to see them vanish again. She'd already lived through it once, so it couldn't be any better now.

Abruptly, she wished she'd never gone through the Farplane. That she'd taken a step back and not let her hopes persuade her. What had she gotten herself into?

Part of her wanted to be sick.

"Look, look, there it is!" The voice wasn't one she recognized and, snapped out of her thoughts, Yuna's gaze darted to the house beside Auron's. He too had glanced over, the two of them seeing that a couple had jogged out onto their balcony and were staring up at the sky, pointing. Yuna and Auron, following the gestures, allowed their gazes to turn upwards.

Yuna's brows furrowed at what she saw. "What is that?"

"The guardian," Auron replied easily, watching as well. "It's been given the name Leviathan." It was a huge beast, swirling and dancing outside the shield far, far above their heads. It twirled on inside itself, flying without wings. It was incredibly graceful, like a swimmer in the sky – like water in a river. It was too far for her to see details, but it sparkled in the moonlight like a silver fish, splashing in and out of the clouds and between stars. Everyone had left their homes to watch it, or were peering out through windows. Children pointed and laughed, their parents smiling. Like a fleeting hope, it sifted over the shield and vanished as quickly as it'd come.

"I'm not really sure what it is myself," Auron continued after it'd vanished. "It wasn't around before Sin was gone, so it's a new addition to Zanarkand's defenses." Yuna, returning her attention to him, listened patiently, pretending his explanation was enough to distract her from everything else he'd said that night. "It lives outside the shell and never fails to appear when the city is attacked. I've seen it just outside the shell before and it's huge. Much larger than any fiend we ever fought or aeon you summoned. It's a great, shimmering serpent, which is the most I've been able to make out of it. It's always so… twisted and moving so swiftly that it's hard to make out any details."

"And it defends the city?" Yuna asked, glancing back up at the sky. "Like Sin did, before…" Because that's all Sin had been. A soul so warped by time that all it could consider was defending its dream of a city, killing innocents along the way.

"I've considered that perhaps it's something similar," Auron shook his head. "That, despite what happened last time," with Sin, "the fayth called on something similar to defend them, desperate against the Farplane."

"An aeon then…"

"Perhaps, though I pity the soul that became that fayth. Jecht told me that… that being summoned constantly, being pulled on, it destroys a person, drives them insane. He said that's the reason Yu Yevon went insane and couldn't stop. Why he sometimes feels out of control himself just remembering being connected to such a being."

"Then… the fayth forced this… person to become this?" she glanced back over at him.

"No, I don't think so," Auron replied. "It requires a very strong soul to become a fayth, someone determined to be so." Which was why a strong bond between summoner and guardian was required for the Final Summoning. Someone just as vindicated as their summoner in their actions. "Whoever became that… creature… had to have volunteered, otherwise it wouldn't be strong enough to withstand the abuse it gets."

Yuna didn't have to ask in order for him to elaborate.

"It throws itself into battle without qualm. No matter the numbers or the threat, it's always there. Without it, Zanarkand would have been overrun months ago. It has yet to fall and brings the people a sort of hope that perhaps this… war will yet be won."

"Unfortunate creature…" Yuna murmured.

"Yes, truly," Auron agreed with a nod.

All around them, the people of Zanarkand continued to cheer.

* * *

**A/N:** So, chapter two. I find myself very… reserved when addressing Yuna's emotions. She's always struck me as being very softly thoughtful, only reacting strongly when desperation calls for it. Which is why she's able to take the punches being in Zanarkand is throwing at her. Plus, there's the whole depression thing, which seems to be wearing on her considerably. Perhaps too much? I don't know, perhaps it will come up in the story, lalala. Then there's that serpent at the end, eh? Were it not for the fandom being so intent on the idea, I'm sure it'd be more of a mystery, but as it's probably not, I'll say nothing more on the matter. Other than, actually, that it's movements were greatly inspired by Haku in Spirited Away. I love the way his dragon form moves and Leviathan in this fic, though considerably larger, has that kind of grace. I just love how he was animated so much, Haku that is.

And yes, Auron talks a lot, but he always kind of did. He chooses his conversations and all of these were rather necessary for him. He'll probably quiet down in the future.

Also, I'm aware I changed a lot of what Zanarkand looked like. But it wasn't really elaborated on in the game, so I felt I had creative license. Besides, blitzball arenas are probably on the ocean, on the outskirts of the city where Tidus "lives." The only place in Zanarkand we really got to see in the game. So my version could be plausible seeing as Auron lives nearer the middle of the city.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and please leave a review so I might hear your thoughts. They inspire me and spur me onwards.

Thank you so much for your support!


	3. Finding that Ocean Dream

**Beyond Reality**

**EDIT! PLEASE READ:** I'd been brainstorming some and made some changes to the previous two chapters. First, I've taken Kimahri out of the story as he really serves no purpose here. Also, when Auron was revived, he became his younger self, a change I also made. Forgive me, but as the story developed in my head I realized these were things that needed to be altered.

_Chapter 3: Finding that Ocean Dream_

"You told her then," Jecht asked as he and Auron sat on the couch together. One of them had been previously flipping through a blitzball magazine with his feet propped up on the coffee table, the other reading a book quietly. "How'd she take it?"

"With Yuna it's always hard to tell."

"Well what about Braska and Nhefrin?" Jecht asked. "They'll want to know."

"I'm aware of that," Auron pulled his attention from his book, closing it at the same time. "I tried to call him last night, but he didn't pick up his phone. You know how he is about using machina." That wasn't to say he was against it, but that he merely wasn't very good at utilizing it. Nhefrin, for that matter, wasn't that much better. Though she was Al Bhed, she'd never really fit into their lifestyle, having separated herself from her Al Bhed lineage at a young age.

"He was coming over here this morning, wasn't he?" Jecht asked, referring to Auron's house. It was often the meeting place for everyone, despite Jecht and Braska having their own places. Already Jecht was back over after having been there just the night before. But with the visitors sleeping upstairs, he couldn't have been expected to stay away long. At least, this time, Chere had stayed home.

"He was going to drop off some charts to me before we went out on field. Though I have the feeling things might escalate." Hopefully, Braska would be there before any of the newcomers woke up, so Auron and Jecht could explain to him what was going on. Yevon forbid he walk in and spot Yuna right away.

"What are you guys talkin' about?" a perky voice interrupted and, turning around, they saw that Rikku had strolled her way down the stairs and over to their conversation. "Is someone coming over?"

"Er, yeah," Jecht replied gruffly. "Braska…"

"Oh, really?" her green eyes widened as they deferred to Auron. "Does he know Yunie's here?" Having told Yuna the situation first, Auron had made sure the rest of her friends were aware as well, just so that they could offer the proper support she might need upon encountering her father again. Because there really was no way around it.

"Unfortunately no," Auron shook his head and reopened his book, intent to end the conversation there. Jecht, on the other hand, chuckled, unsure what to make of the uneven dynamic he'd noticed between his old friend and the young woman the night before. They acted as if they didn't get along, yet if Auron truly disliked a person, he was never shy about distancing himself, or telling them outright. Yet he put up with Rikku.

"What are you reading?" she asked as she plopped right down beside Auron, appearing quite childish with her long blonde hair falling carelessly over her shoulders, which were clad in only one of Auron's oversized t-shirts. One of the many Abes shirts Jecht had given him that his younger friend never wore.

She didn't seem at all shy about her naked legs.

Auron, perturbed by her pestering, tightened his lips and looked down at her disapprovingly. She acted completely innocent however, waiting patiently for him to answer.

"A book," was all he eventually said.

"Well I know that!" Rikku crossed her arms harshly over her chest. "E's hud yh eteud. Fro tu oui ymfyoc dayca sa..." She pouted then.

"I don't always tease you," he replied without looking at her, Rikku's eyebrows rising considerably at his reply. Jecht, watching the exchange with no comment, took note of the way Auron's lips curved up at one side.

"Since when do you speak Al Bhed?" she asked accusingly.

"Since always," was his vague reply, despite how much of a lie it probably was. He'd picked up the language at some point, not that it was any of her business when that had been.

"You're so mean to me…" she was pouting again and Auron sighed rather dramatically. Jecht cocked a skeptical brow. Silence overcame them for a moment, Rikku's expression clearing away for contemplation before her eyes narrowed and she glanced back up at Auron.

She grinned mischievously. "So Auron," she addressed him again, forcing him to once again pull back from his book. He stared straight ahead however, not at all enthused with her badgering. "You've been living in Zanarkand for a while then," she smiled wider. "Meet anyone?"

"What?" he deep voice got slightly higher, grating against the air at the absurdity of her question.

"You know," she continued to tease, Jecht chuckling from his position across from them. "Meet any girls lately?" Auron's lips tightened. "I mean, you must have. You're a catch," she slapped him cheerfully on the arm, forcing him to lean away from her. "Second best guardian that ever lived and all. Plus, now you're young again."

"Second best?" he sounded affronted at the label.

"Oh yeah," she nodded enthusiastically. "Tidus took that title from you," she was enjoying this way too much. "There's even statues of him being made to go in the temples with Yunie's." Auron looked more displeased if at all possible, Jecht guffawing in response.

"That kid the best guardian that ever lived?" his father apparently couldn't believe it.

"It's true," Rikku nodded. "You've all but been forgotten," she laid her hand comfortingly on Auron's shoulder then. "Don't worry though, I'll always remember you."

"Go away Rikku," he shrugged her off and tried to go back to his book.

"You didn't answer my question," she wasn't persuaded. "Have you met any-"

"No," he snapped. "Now leave me alone."

Rikku frowned. "What's your problem?" she asked, sounding honestly offended. "Why do you hate me so much?" Her offense quickly turned to anger and hurt. "What'd I ever do to you?! You big meanie!" She slapped him harshly on the arm then before pushing herself into standing. Huffing, she stomped away, Auron watching her go as he rubbed the smart where she'd punched him.

Jecht was still laughing. "Thank goodness you never had kids of your own," he commented, Auron casting his old friend a disgusted look. Mostly because Jecht was no way in the running for father of the year.

"Shut up Jecht," was the best he could come up with in response however and, tossing his book harshly to the table, he stood before heading off as well. Jecht took note, however, that he went off in Rikku's direction. Unfortunately, or fortunately perhaps, he couldn't focus on the thought for long. Mostly because, within the moment, the front door opened.

Alert, he jumped to his feet and headed straight over to the entrance.

"Braska," he issued, aware he was alone and without backup from Auron.

"Jecht," the retired summoner replied in surprise, his soft voice much smoother than his guardian's. "I didn't know you were going to be here." He walked in, quite as familiar with the place as Jecht. He no longer sported his summoner garb however, instead donning a pair of brown slacks and a blue button-down shirt, the buttons left undone to reveal his white t-shirt. Simple and sophisticated, that was Braska.

"Uh, well," Jecht cleared his throat. "Just thought I'd… drop by…" His eyes drifted to the side.

"Right…" Braska grinned, but didn't seem to be buying it. "Where's Auron?"

"He's uh, he's busy," Jecht replied, the room falling silent just in time to hear Rikku's high-pitched objection.

"That is not an apology!" she shouted before stomping back inside from the balcony. Heading for the stairs, she saw Jecht and Braska standing there, looking at her in surprise, but was far too vexed to care very much. Instead, she settled for a simple, "Good morning Uncle Braska," before stomping her way up the stairs.

Braska blinked, Jecht's stomach sinking as Auron, looking more exasperated than ever, drudged back into the room.

"Wh-what… Who was that?" Braska stuttered, gesturing towards the stairs with wide eyes. Upon seeing him standing there, Auron's composure straightened and he joined up at Jecht's side.

"That was… Rikku…" Auron offered.

"Rikku," Braska repeated. "As in Rikku my niece? As in Cid's daughter? That Rikku?"

"Yes…" Auron verified slowly.

"Well why is she here?" Braska demanded in as much of a strict voice as so soft a man could muster. Then, abruptly, a look of horror fell over his face. "She's not dead is she?"

"No!" Both Auron and Jecht cut in at the same time. "She's alive," Auron continued the explanation. "Very, very much alive…"

"Then… why is she here?" Braska's eyes darted between the two of them, Jecht and Auron glanced at each other uncertainly before, with a sigh, Auron gave in.

"She's not the only one here," he started first. "She and some of her friends came in through the Farplane." Braska had an obviously questioning look on his face, as if asking why, or how, or every question he could muster. "Apparently, because of what's going on here, the Farplane has become unstable in Spira. And since Sin was defeated and Yevon exposed, Spira's kind of… fallen into governmental disarray." Braska wasn't understanding what this had to do with anything. "So when this whole Farplane thing came up, the people went to the only person they… could…"

"Who?" Braska held his hands up questioningly, totally and utterly confused.

"Your daughter," Jecht replied gruffly, Braska turning his attention to his other guardian quickly.

"Yuna…?" he said quietly.

"Yes," Auron nodded. "So she and her… her guardians went to investigate. Which is why they… ended up here…" Which would explain Rikku's presence because, even if Braska didn't know for sure who his daughter's guardians had all been, he could easily make assumptions.

"My daughter…" Braska's voice had fallen to barely above a whisper as he gulped. "My daughter is here?" he pointed unconsciously down at the floor, his face draining of all its color, leaving only his wide blue eyes. "Right now, in this house?" His voice got more strained as he spoke.

"I already warned her that you're here," Auron tried to soothe the situation, though he knew perfectly well there was nothing he could do. "And I tried to call you… but…" his voice faded as Braska's eyes flicked away, focusing on something behind them. And based on how he gaped, it didn't take much to figure out what had drawn his attention.

"Yuna…?" he said her name breathlessly, all of them turning to see her. She stood at the base of the stairs, draped on the long, white summer dress she'd arrived in. Her hair, it'd grown since last he'd seen her, or so Auron had noticed the day before. It reached just below her shoulders, seeming to draw attention to her fine shoulders. Her beauty was just as stunning as it'd always been, though perhaps a little harder than before. Lips tight, she stared at them from behind her blue and green eyes, just as frozen in shock as her father.

Silence weighed heavily between them.

Neither Auron nor Jecht really knew for how many seconds, minutes, they stood there, staring at each other. It wasn't until Braska, after digesting that this beautiful young woman actually was his daughter, released the breath he'd been holding that life seemed to come back into the space. He was completely blown away by her. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been seven years old, crying, small. Now she was a full-grown woman who'd inherited all her mother's beauty. She'd defeated Sin, this woman, with Auron and her guardians. She'd been a summoner. She'd been through life, through hell and back.

She was his daughter.

"Yuna…" he repeated again and, without even considering it, he swept forward. Reaching her, he slowed only as he approached, her big eyes flicking quickly back and forth as she stared up at him.

Reaching out, he hesitated for only a moment before allowing his fingertips to grace her cheek. It was warm, her own eyes widening further at the contact. Yet, despite how she might react, he couldn't help himself. Soon both his hands were reaching up to cradle her face, his eyes blinking quickly against the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him.

Pulling her forward, he enveloped her in an embrace, his eyes closing as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He didn't notice how she stiffened in his hold, how her eyes widened in panic. He was too preoccupied with the fact that, for the first time in eleven years, he was holding his daughter in his arms. His daughter, who he'd left to protect and whom he'd thought he'd never see again.

Yuna, on the other hand, had no idea how she was supposed to be reacting. Rather, she tried not to shove him away and return upstairs. Part of her didn't want to face this, yet at the same time, her body remained stationary. And as she breathed, slowly in an effort to calm herself, she caught the familiar smell of scrolls and mint that echoed in her childhood memories.

Abruptly, it all came collapsing down on her at once. All the time after Sin had been defeated that she'd sat in Besaid, tears streaming down her face as she'd longed for the only person that had ever meant anything to her, at least back then. Her father, who'd raised her after her mother's death and tried his hardest to protect her, even though that had meant leaving her behind. The man that had shielded her from the coarse words of those who'd taken error with her mother and her heritage, who had always assured her that there was nothing to be ashamed of in who she was.

The man that had inspired her dreams.

She didn't realize it, but tears were streaming down her face, her hands reaching up to grip tightly at the back of her father's shirt. She buried her face in his chest, reveling in that smell she'd never been able to find anywhere else.

Her father, Braska, was there.

He was really there.

**oOo**

It wasn't long after their reunion that Braska, after composing himself as best he could, had called his wife. Nhefrin, Yuna's mother and a woman she hardly knew, yet had always dreamed of, was alerted to what had happened and came rushing over as soon as her husband had explained everything. Soon after, a reunion similar to the one Yuna had shared with her father commenced and everyone, because all in the house were awake at this point, watched with tears in their eyes as Yuna got to do what none of them ever would. Her parents had been brought back from the dead and she was getting to speak with them, touch them, know them. The privilege of her situation was apparent to all of them, even Yuna herself, and despite the warning Auron had given her the night before, she found herself happier than she had been in over a year.

Obviously, Braska hadn't gone out on duty as he'd been expected to do, Auron and Jecht going out instead and filling in for him. Hours went by where they talked, just the three of them, about everything that had happened. About Sin, their marriage, their family, what Yuna had accomplished. It seemed to pour out of them all, the other three listening quietly and smiling when, abruptly, one of the suddenly united family would be overcome by tears. Soon, half the day had passed, their timeline of discussed events finally having reached present day.

"But why were you put in charge of part of the Zanarkand military?" Yuna asked, looking between both her parents, as it would seem her mother too was involved, heading her own faction. The conversation had finally come around to more serious topics, neither party too apt to care. All that really mattered was that they were able to talk to one another. Sure, subject matter made things interesting, but it certainly wasn't a determining factor.

"That actually had a lot to do with Jecht," Braska explained from his position at the corner of the couch perpendicular to the one Yuna and Nhefrin sat in. Yuna's mother had her daughter's hand squeezed in her own, not at all intent on letting it go. "Everyone here knows him and when he showed up after being gone for ten years, able to explain what was going on, the Zanarkand officials had little choice but to trust him. Thus, through him, we were all appointed to our current positions."

"I see," Yuna nodded, her eyes falling to the floor. Again, Auron's words about not getting attached flashed through her head, spurred by the thought of Zanarkand. Yet, again, she found she couldn't distance herself. Even at the threat of sorrow in the end. These were her parents after all; she should take advantage of the situation, shouldn't she?

"It's not so bad actually," Braska continued. "With the exception of Jecht drinking too mu-"

"Hey, look!" Rikku had gone to the window some few moments before, to gaze out at the city, her attention unable to be retained by the conversation between Yuna and her parents. Though she, as well as the rest present, were glad to see that Yuna could enjoy such a reunion, it also festered a kind of unpleasant envy none would ever admit to. "Something's happening outside the shell."

Eyebrows furrowed, Braska rose from his seat to join Rikku at the window. Upon glancing out however, his whole form stiffened and he detoured across the room to the doors that led out onto the balcony. Surprised at her husband's abrupt actions, Nhefrin, despite how her hand lingered on Yuna's, trailed after him. The rest of the room watched, as if paralyzed initially by the strange behavior. But, eventually, they seemed to realize they weren't strapped to the observations of such natives and, gravitating to the windows as well, peered up at the sky. Yuna joined her parents on the balcony.

"What's happening?" she asked as she observed, eyes narrowed at the shield above. She wasn't the only one either, by any means. In the houses nearby, their neighbors had also come to look, most of them either gaping or shrinking back in fear.

"It's an attack," Braska verified, all seriousness, his daughter glancing up at him with a curiously intense gaze.

"The sent," Nhefrin cut in, her velvety voice shaking memories somewhere in the back of Yuna's head. "They're attacking the shield." Above them, pyreflies swarmed the shell, blocking out the superficially dreamed day shining down on them through the clouds. And as they continued to watch, Yuna was able to make out shapes. They came together atop the shell, aggressively barraging it before shattering into pyreflies once again. They had no sense of their own wellbeing, these fiends. Some shared in animalistic traits, others were human. The latter seemed to last a bit longer against the surging power of the shell, but they too were scattered to the air soon enough.

Despite this defense however, Yuna could see the way the power of the shell rippled through the air, like a sea standing above their heads. With enough force and determination, the dead might yet break through, a danger that Yuna could see painted in her parents' eyes. In the looks and fears of the other citizens watching. They all knew, no matter the strength of the barrier, that it couldn't stand up forever.

"Look, there!" A woman a house above Yuna shouted. "It's Leviathan!" The crowds of people, families inhabiting the houses, began to talk then, their voices rising above the city as they watched the silver serpent snake through the sky. With a vicious snarl that was audible even to those a thousand feet below, it tossed itself into the battle, swimming body surging forth with aggressive grace.

It cut its way through the friends, sending them scattered and breaking into pyreflies. For a moment, the attention of the attack turned on the aeon, the fiends changing their target. Yet, even as Leviathan broke up the opposition, as they clawed towards it, the sky was abruptly clear.

Suddenly the sun's rays through the clouds struck once more down upon the city, Leviathan shining in the pockets of light like a silver needle among the clouds. The crowd fell silent, Braska and Nhefrin both twitching closer to the edge of the balcony, eyes wide.

"What happened?" Rikku asked as she skipped her way to the ledge of the balcony as well. Yet, when Braska and Nhefrin failed to answer, when none of the other citizens of the city spoke on the subject, it became evident that none of them knew. Even Leviathan, who'd whipped back and forth with the audacity of a whip moments before, was oddly slowed, as if it too were taken aback by the abrupt retreat.

"Fiends don't run…" Braska observed quietly, the truth of his examination ringing real with all of them. They'd fought enough of the dead to know that nothing short of breaking them into pyreflies (and sending them to the Farplane) was likely to dissuade them. To have them suddenly disappear, the shining souls fluttering off, was the farthest thing from normal. Only the strongest of fiends, those closest to that of being humans, had been able to think logically enough to retreat. But those above the shell… many of them had taken the form of beasts.

Leviathan, just as suspicious of what had happened as the dreams down below, slowly flitted to the shield, able to balance atop it as though it were glass. It's long head flicked back and forth, it's tail jerking this way and that with what Yuna thought might be nerves. It was watching, just as they all were, it's four clawed legs resting lightly upon the shell.

Silence seemed to have engulfed the city.

Breathing deeply, Yuna attempted to understand, to come to some conclusion, but it all eluded her, just as it did her parents and friends. Eyes narrowed, she watched Leviathan just as critically as everyone, a tenseness causing her heart to speed up with every second. The air was thick, she realized. Static perhaps. And as she determined this, she imagined the snap that would release it all, that would release them from the heavy weight.

Despite the winter temperatures, she felt hot.

She was about to ask whether anyone else felt the same, but as she considered the notion, everything around her felt as though it were caving in. With a crack and a twist, the sky was gone, the air feeling as though it were vacuumed from her very lungs. Gasping, she surged forward a step, her hands coming together beneath her chin as she watched.

As Leviathan was engulfed by millions of pyreflies.

"An ambush," Braska breathed, all of them out on the balcony by this point, watching with gaping mouths the display above their heads. The sun was completely eclipsed by pyreflies now, the light that had been shining into the city saturated and shadowed as the sun reflected off the millions of tiny souls. Rainbows were echoed down upon the city as if they were inside a kadelescope, the shapes twitching across buildings, through water, and over the paled skin of those who witnessed the attack.

The city was so silent, so in awe and shock, that when the blood-curdling scream of a growl erupted above them, every single person, dream, swore their heart stopped.

Yuna moaned unconsciously despite how she couldn't see what as happening. Her whole body trembled with the ear-piercing sound, which spoke only of pain and anguish.

"The fiends, they're attacking it," Lulu murmured, obviously referring to Leviathan. "They lured it and came back with more force than before…" Which was a bit of an understatement. There were ten times the number of pyreflies now, forming into fiends and throttling the aeon. They assumed it tried to fight back, but against so many…

"This is a larger attack than anything we've seen yet," Nhefrin verified. "So much larger…"

"There has to be something we can do!" Yuna turned suddenly to her parents, desperation coming to her from nowhere she could place. But it assaulted her more swiftly than she knew, shaking her body into a panic. "It'll die!" She whipped her gaze back up to the sky.

"The only way to attempt anything would be for a summoner to pray to the fayth to open the shell," Nhefrin shook her head. "And if we did that now, the city would be overrun." Destroyed by the sheer number of fiends now present. "That's a risk we… we can't take."

Yuna, however, upon hearing the explanation, closed her eyes and prayed harder than she ever had in her whole life. If her father or mother, or friends, objected to her attempts, she didn't hear them. She reached out to the fayth, even more frantic when they turned their spiritual backs to her. They wouldn't answer. They weren't going to try.

She went for anything that might reach back to her.

That was when she felt it, the ripping agony. Flicking her eyes open again, she grabbed the balcony rail, unconsciously lamenting aloud against the strain. At the same moment, with a crash that sent thousands of ripples across the shield, Leviathan's body slammed into the shell above them, the serpent's form slipping across the dome and leaving stretches of red in it's wake. It streaked down motionless, Yuna feeling her heart break at the sight.

Yet still the pyreflies came. They became fiends all around it, biting and clawing at the defenseless creature.

Yuna, despite the pain that echoed in her mind, reached out to it again.

She felt that pull.

"_Get up!"_

She watched.

And with a flicking type of momentum, Leviathan was up again, twitching into the air and screeching through the pyreflies. It's scream echoed through the shell, through the farplane, and with a great explosion the fiends surrounding it were cast off, sent shattering through the air. Circling higher and higher, it drew the pyreflies after it before, with a great flash, a giant cascade of water flooded down from the heavens. It swept the fiends away, drowning their power, before splashing down upon the shell. It shook the entire city, the sky momentarily clouded with the crystalized view water.

When the liquid cleared, seeping down the side of the shell, the sky was barren once again, revealing the still figure of Leviathan silhouetted by the sun.

It hovered there, static, for the longest seconds Yuna had experienced in a long time. Then, as if the life had been sucked from it, it fell.

It plummeted from the sky.

The whole city watching, Leviathan crashed once more atop the shield, though this time it was still as it laid there before, only seconds between, it slipped once more down the dome, even more red streaked in its wake.

It fell, down, down, down into the snow somewhere at the city's edge, the blood that had been left behind slowly absorbed by the shell before it was gone.

Everything was clear as if nothing had even happened. Only the clattering echo in Yuna's bones remained as proof, her eyes wide as she stared at the nothingness now apparent above the city.

Her breathing trembled yet, ears ringing with the splintering cry that seemed to barrage in the falls and mountains of the Farplane.

"I don't understand…" Lulu's empty, shocked voice said a moment later. "Aeons, they… they don't bleed…" Because the sight of the red had been an image none of them could quickly erase from their minds.

"Though Leviathan is an aeon, it's transformation is more pure than any aeon you've ever encountered," the small voice surprised them all, each of them turning to see the young, transparent boy hovering behind them.

Bahamut.

Yuna however, abruptly assaulted by anger, couldn't find her voice in order to make her thoughts clear. The red, that was all she could see.

"What do you mean?" Braska asked curiously, the only one of them other than Yuna who was well-versed in the ways of the aeons.

"The difference is that when summoners call aeons, their existence is born of the summoner's soul," he explained, sounding only moderately sad, or so Yuna decided. "Even the Final Aeon, which is the uniting of a summoner's soul with that of a guardian in order to create a fayth, it still dependent on the strength of the summoner. The aeon is called and realized through the summoner's soul, which is why, if against an enemy too strong, it can evaporate back into the summoner."

"The summoner is a go-between…" Braska deduced.

"Exactly," the fayth nodded. "The aeon is like a shield. Once it's broken through, the damage then goes to the summoner. Leviathan is different however." He paused, to sigh, before continuing. "It does not have the stability of being joined with a summoner, as a Final Aeon does, which is why it… it is subject to insanity," like Yu Yevon, "but it wasn't imprisoned as we were." All the fayth. "Its flesh was not turned to stone, forced to serve the one that summoned it.

"That is why we needed summoners," his explanation went on. "Our bodies were stone, but our souls could be joined. Leviathan however, instead of turning to stone, he was able to retain his physical shape, which is why he doesn't need a summoner and why he… bleeds, as if made of flesh. Because he… he is." His gaze diverted to the side. "Leviathan's flesh body was what was used to create that creature. Transformed, it still retains its original figure."

"Then it… when it fights," Nhefrin offered, "it's not able to regenerate itself like the aeons we knew could? If suffers true physical damage…?"

Bahamut nodded.

"It risks much more then, throwing itself into battle that way," Braska deduced, sympathy coating his voice. "It could very well… bleed to death…" If not taken care of properly, in any case.

"Yes," the fayth verified.

"But, if it didn't go through a summoner, how did it become an aeon in the first place?" Lulu asked. "Yu Yevon, he was the summoner that turned you, the original citizens of Zanarkand, into fayth. I don't understand how this is possible…"

"If one with the ability to summon were to know how, they could turn themselves into a fayth. Into an aeon." Perhaps as Seymour's mother had, though she too had become a stone.

"So Leviathan was a summoner that turned itself into an aeon?" Rikku tried to make things as simple as possible.

"Yes," the fayth nodded. "Though a summoner is really no one more than an individual with the strength and determination to endure what is asked of them. That is why we always had humans pray to us, so that we might gauge the strength of their souls to know whether they were strong enough to carry the aeons or not." Whether they possessed the endurance and drive to go through with it.

"Then… Leviathan was… alive before it became a fayth?" Braska asked, the usage of the word "alive" strictly categorized. He was referencing how it meant to be as Yuna and her friends were.

"Apparently," the fayth shook his head. "It is an anomaly that none of us have been able to comprehend, that a dream could somehow take this form. We don't understand it ourselves, what has happened."

"Then it _was_ one of the citizens of Zanarkand," Nhefrin inferred.

"Yes," Bahamut nodded twice.

"One of your own creations then," Yuna finally found her voice, though it came out cold and unforgiving. "Yet you left it there to die." Her last drew the focus of everyone, the animosity in her tone obvious.

The fayth didn't reply.

"You turned your backs to me when I asked that you help it," him, whatever it was. "You abandoned it."

"Leviathan wouldn't have wanted us to risk opening the shell to assist it," Bahamut defended. "He became an aeon knowing what it meant. He wanted to protect the people of Zanarkand, even at the cost of his own life. Opening the shell would have completely defeated his purpose in doing what he did." Though he said it straight, the sadness in his voice was apparent. "I didn't enjoy watching what happened anymore than you My Lady," He took a deep breath. "But I know you reached out to it," Yuna's eyes fell to the side. "It wasn't asking for help. It didn't want any, despite how you tried."

Silence fell on the group then, Yuna rebellious in her attempts to accept this truth. Perhaps it hadn't asked for help, but the pain, the agony… She'd only felt an echo of it. What had been real must have been… beyond words.

"I want to find it," Yuna eventually decided. "The fiends are gone now, you can let me outside the shell."

"Yes, we could do that now," Bahamut verified.

"You'll take me to where it fell," she turned her cold gaze on the fayth, her demanding tone not lost on anyone.

"If that's what you want," and the fayth replied obediently.

Yuna pursed her lips, determination flaring in her eyes as it hadn't done in over a year. Recognizing this, all her friends stood a little taller, taking up their guardian stances. And Braska and Nhefrin, who could sense the change just as well, found themselves in awe of their daughter and her ability to rally such strength as well as support. Though young, a woman stood before them, unafraid and ready for anything that was going to come her way. She was bigger, stronger, and flowing with vigor.

A powerful soul –

A summoner through and through.

**oOo**

The trip through Zanarkand was longer than Yuna would have liked. And because she was so thoroughly distracted, she couldn't even sit back and admire the city from her position in the passenger side of her father's car. Rikku and Lulu were with her as well, Wakka riding with her mother in the vehicle following behind. Soon enough however, they were in what Yuna was told was the east side of the city. The buildings dwindled, the metropolis diminishing to only one tier as they cruised down around near the barrier.

The came to a slow halt upon spotting Bahamut shimmering against the shell, waiting for them. Auron and Jecht were there as well, Braska having called them after the attack to let them know what they were on their way to do. Or, rather, what Yuna had decided they were going to do.

None had objected after all.

Pulling the two cars to the side and setting them down on the ground alongside Auron and Jecht's, the whole party exited before walking along the edge of the shell to where the fayth was waiting for them.

"Where is everybody?" Rikku asked as they walked, glancing around. It hadn't gotten by any of them that there was no one else around. In fact, aside from the wide highway (perhaps an old road that wasn't used anymore?), they were barely within a mile of any buildings. Yet, despite how this area was neglected, one would think that, if this really was the area where Leviathan had fallen, it'd be crawling with people. But not a single soul stirred aside from themselves.

"No one comes here anymore," Auron explained as they reached him and Jecht, having overheard the question. "They're too afraid."

The curious looks he got were enough to excite further explanation.

"You can't see it now because of the highway," Jecht took over, "but if we were to keep walkin' this way," he gestured back behind him and Auron, "we'd come up on the first attack site."

"There wasn't a shell around Zanarkand when the city was originally revived in the Farplane," Braska interjected. "A good chunk of it was completely destroyed in the first wave of attacks. Because of that, and the fiends there, people stay as far away as possible. We have soldiers posted around it to keep the fiends from entering the rest of the city because, despite my attempts at a sending, there are still some clinging to life."

"I'm sure there are people watching from the buildings, looking this way," it went back to Auron, "but they're far too traumatized to actually come here. This is, after all, a city that knows very little of death and destruction." Quite the opposite of those from Spira.

"Leviathan," they turned to the fayth then, "fell somewhere outside here." He pointed to the area beyond the barrier. "I can sense him, but I dare not go too far from the city." None of the fayth could afford to lose any of their own. Even one link could prove the unraveling of everything. The only defense between the dream and the dead.

"Thank you," Yuna nodded to Bahamut, also signaling him to allow them passage. Turning to the shell, the small fayth put forth the needed amount of concentration and within the moment, a hole just large enough for them to fit through dissolved. Stepping forward without any hesitation, Yuna unknowingly led the way, her determination to find the aeon spurring her forward.

As soon as they were all outside the shell, Bahamut closed it and said he'd wait for them to come back, so as to let them inside again. Armed and ready for anything, the two summoners and their guardians stepped on through the snow, most of the newcomers thankful for the additional clothes and boots they'd acquired. After all, they had arrived wearing attire fit for Besaid.

Staff in hand, Yuna gripped it tightly as they headed up a snow bank. She wasn't quite sure how she knew, but something inside told her she was headed in the right direction. Not just because Bahamut had pointed them in the general direction, but there was more. She knew, as she faced forward, that if she kept walking in that straight line, she'd come upon the beast. She wondered, vaguely, if it was calling to her, asking for help, but the idea was quickly discounted. It wasn't that the aeon itself was pulling her, but rather something else. As if she, like the fayth, could sense it.

"Yuna, slow down," Auron scolded her and, surprised, she paused before turning to see that the rest of the group was some ways behind her. Apparently she'd been walking a little faster than the rest of them. "You don't know what you're going to find. Besides, we are your guardians after all."

Yuna's shoulders dropped, a small smile gracing her lips. "Not anymore," she corrected.

"We'll always be your guardians," Lulu added, smiling equally, and Yuna sighed good-naturedly.

"It's hard to believe," Braska started as he met her, his hand lying softly on her shoulder, "that my daughter is the summoner credited with finally bringing peace to Spira." His proud expression caused Yuna slight embarrassment, her eyes falling to the side.

"I hardly deserve the credit," she replied. "We did it together." Her friends seemed to appreciate the compliment, nobody finding any real point in disagreeing. Perhaps because, though they had done it together, it was due to a certain other's influence and inspiration that they got as far as they did. At least, in the sense of progression from what had been old ways.

Grouped together once more, they headed up over the top of the hill, Yuna now centered between her friends. Auron and Rikku were out front, leading the way. Sword and claw ready, they reached the top of the hill, their eyes the first to see what was beyond.

Rikku's swift intake of breath told all.

"There it is…" she said as Yuna reached their position. Peering out across the Farplane, Yuna felt her heart go out to the scene before her. The snow was scattered and sheered, having splashed out as the great body had crashed down upon it. Coiled in and over itself, it lay still in the red stained ice, marks scattered all over its body.

"It is… dead?" Wakka asked as they glanced down at it. No part of it was moving. It simply continued to slowly bleed out before them, far too injured to even realize they were there. If it still lived.

"Yuna, be careful!" Lulu scolded as she took the initiative and started her way on down the hill. The others followed close behind, Yuna completely oblivious to them as she looked the creature over.

Upon closer inspection, she could see that, despite how it appeared in the sky, it wasn't, in fact, silver, but a light, crystal blue. Armored scales trickled up and down its length, shining in the light and creating the fish-like shine it gave off. It was much bigger, also, than even she'd originally thought. Were she to be standing beside it, her height compared to its around-width would be nearly equal. And as far as how long it was, well, far beyond what they could measure offhand.

Creeping onwards, Yuna made sure to keep a good amount of distance between it and herself as she surveyed the damage. It really was scratched up some, but nothing that might hinder its health as apparently the attack had. But, as coiled as it was, she couldn't possibly see the extent of the marks. There was a very generous amount of blood seeping beneath it, so, somewhere, it was deeply injured.

Crossing around one side of it, Yuna came to an abrupt stop upon encountering its head. Laid out on its side, its mouth was gaping open, revealing rows of giant, razor-sharp teeth, some of which were easily the size of her arm. The eyes were closed however and, gulping, Yuna crept a little farther forward. Only, then, to be stop when both Lulu and her father's hands reached out to her shoulders.

She glanced back at them with pursed lips.

"If that thing wakes up and thinks you're a fiend Yuna, it'll snap you in half," her father lectured seriously, Lulu nodding in agreement. Despite their logic however, Yuna felt herself inexplicably drawn to it. Thus, without even a few thoughts to her safety, she shrugged them off. She went on, all of them right behind her. For, if she was to heal, what else could they do?

"Yuna, why don't you let me go first…" Braska tried to reason, but he was ignored. Yuna, braver than even she'd imagined herself to be, soon founder herself right beside it's giant nose, which, though by its size would be considered light, was breathing deeply enough to nearly knock her back.

So it was, in fact, alive.

"Can either of you even heal something this big?" Rikku asked curiously, her voice so soft that they could barely hear her. Neither Yuna nor Braska answered her however and, still rounding the head, Yuna soon spotted the eyes, which were tightly closed beneath layers of blue, marble-like horns protruding from the top of its head.

Unconsciously, Yuna found her hand out before her, eyes completely focused on the aeon.

"Yuna!" Auron hissed, but she didn't hear him. It was too late.

Her fingers gently pressed down on the scales crusted over what she interpreted was the creature's forehead. It was cold, so cold, like ice but so smooth that she wasn't sure if it wasn't water instead. Her whole hand pressed down onto it, the chill so severe she thought that perhaps it would burn her. The scalding feeling shot through her whole body, but nothing actually happened. Instead, she felt a twitching like flick in the back of her mind, her eyes darting from her hand up to its eye.

An ocean blue eye, wide open and staring up at her.

Her breath caught in her throat, her heart coming to a halting stop.

For a few seconds, time seemed to pause, her own eyes widening as she took in the rounded, dark, swimming pupil that zeroed in on her. And all around it flowed the water – a blue that sparked somewhere in her memories, but that she was too shocked to really place.

The severity was paralyzing.

Perhaps, initially, she might have considered that the aeon was just as shocked to see her as she was to catch its gaze herself, but the notion of such was quickly pushed aside when a dark chill swept up through her arm. It all happened very quickly then.

That piercing pupil thinned to a line, the blue seeming to cloud over and freeze. A great snarl ripped through the entire beast and, before she could even realize what had happened, Yuna found herself souring back through the air and landing gracelessly in the snow some twenty feet away. Ignoring how the cold seeped through her clothes, she flung her head back up just in time to watch the growling beast slowly raise itself from the ground. Mouth agape, it pulled itself up and up until it was some fifty feet above them.

It was then that she saw the extent of its injuries.

Blood dripped from its mouth, as if the red liquid had been stirred by the movement. And down, across its chest, was a large, bleeding gash. It streamed with scarlet, one of the main injuries contributing to the stained snow.

The other was a giant, deep, running hole on its left side where, based on what she'd seen previously, Yuna assumed it'd possessed a front leg. The limb was ripped completely gone now, the skin and muscle where it'd once been overflowing and dripping with blood.

Yes, Yuna was then positive that if it wasn't healed, it would surely die.

Yet despite this realization, she was unable to act. Her body didn't respond to any inclination she pushed at it. All she could do was continue to gape up at the aeon which, despite its size, she was positive was staring directly at her. Its lips curled, the thin spikes along its head and back ruffling until they were pointed erect. It breathed heavily, the air between them static as those unfeeling blue eyes took her in.

She was defenseless.

Still however, she felt no fear. Rather, as she had earlier that day, she attempted to reach out to it. Concentrating on those blue eyes, she prayed as she had so many times before, willing herself to break down the barriers between her consciousness and the aeon's before her. Yet, as she approached its awareness, it reared back even further in the snow, as if offended by her attempts.

For a moment, those pupils were rounded again, but the growling and spitting overtook it and the gaze became feral once more.

Screaming, it shoved her attempts to reach it back, crossing a shock through her head that nearly made her gasp.

Screaming, it surged forward, Yuna unable to move as those teeth, bared and ready, barreled down on her. It was going to tear her apart, she saw it coming, yet there was nothing she could do. Not even fear was fast enough to beat the jaws ready to rip her to shreds.

If her friends called to her – if they tried to fight it off – she didn't know.

Time rushed at her.

At the last second, as if her body finally realized the danger, she flinched away, ready for the split-moment pain of being torn apart. She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes tight, and tensed in her position stranded in the snow.

She felt that hot breath on her skin, the swooshing of the wind as he charged.

As it became airborne, swooping its wingless body just a hairs breadth beyond her.

Eyes popping back open, Yuna twisted around and watched, nearly blown away by the force of the wind, as the aeon swished through the air above her, skimming over the snow and splattering blood in its wake. Despite how the liquid spotted her skin and clothes however, Yuna couldn't look away. Mostly because, despite its attempts at leaving, it was obvious Leviathan was struggling.

Spearheading its way back into the sky, it soon lost its strength and plummeted back down. Somehow however, before it slammed into the ground, it picked itself up once more and, twisting upwards, slammed itself into the shell surrounding Zanarkand. Once again, it slipped, unable to remain airborne, and streaked downwards. It was determined however and, despite how it slammed into the shield, pushed onwards. Over the dome it snaked, only able to remain airborne for seconds at a time.

Soon however, within some few seconds, it was gone, still fast and beyond them despite its ailment.

Leviathan vanished into the Farplane, gone and without aid.

"Yunie!" Rikku's voice brought her back to reality however and, abruptly aware of the warm blood that stained her body, she turned to see her friends rushing towards her. Like she, they'd been thrown back by the gust the aeon had created when it'd initially gotten up. "Yunie, are you okay?!" Rikku slid down into the snow beside her, green eyes wide and worried.

"I'm fine," Yuna assured, pushing back Rikku's attempts to coddle her. The others reached her soon after, all of them hovering with worried, concerned brows. "It's not my blood," she assured, which meant it could only belong to one other.

"I told you it'd go for you!" Braska scolded despite how he really had no right to do so. It was forgivable however when considering how desperately worried they'd all been. "You shouldn't have gotten so close."

"It didn't get me however," Yuna made perfectly clear as she stood, deciding it wasn't worth it to shrug off the help Rikku and Wakka were giving her. Turning around, she glanced back in the direction it'd vanished, wondering, suddenly, why it'd left her unharmed. She could have sworn it'd been intent on killing her, but at the last second had… changed its mind.

Why?

"You're covered in blood," Lulu murmured as she pushed her way through the group, busying herself with fixing Yuna's hair as she always did. Yet the recipient of their fussing registered none of it, her thoughts once again focused on Leviathan. Even as she was escorted back to the shell, she was distracted with what had happened. Not in the sense of being attacked, but in being defenseless to those eyes. They flashed through her consciousness vividly, without mask, and she found them to be the ultimate distraction.

Even as they returned to Auron's house, she could think of nothing but those eyes.

Those ocean blue eyes.

**oOo**

The numbness was fading. A numbness that had been overtaking him for nearly a year now – it was dragging away. Soon enough, he registered that there was pain. And weakness. Things he hadn't even fathomed in months. It leaked over him slowly until, finally, he realized that if something wasn't done, he was going to fade away completely.

It was hard however, reaching back into humanity.

Allowing the memories to wash over him, he tried to find the ones that would be the most helpful against the pain that had soon become agony. He knew, somehow, that there was a little bit of knowledge of White Magic hidden in the crevices of his mind. Though he couldn't clearly locate it, he tried to focus on the idea. On pumping those feelings through his veins and across his skin.

Soon – or maybe it was hours, days – he didn't know, but soon, the feeling of seeping weakness left him. There pain was still there, but no longer did he feel as though he were wavering between one state and the next. He realized that, though he couldn't replace what had been lost, he could patch it up.

That was all he could do really.

He'd known someone once, someone who'd mastered White Magic. She'd known how to heal, to seal, to separate the healthy from the infected. These were skills he'd never been proficient at, but she had been.

Who had she been?

Those eyes…

Blearily, he opened his own, assaulted by the light that pierced down on him. It was nearly enough to cause him to close them again. But somehow, pulling the strength from places he didn't know, he forced his consciousness to open itself up to the day. He was cold he eventually realized and, turning his head to the side, he realized it was because he was submerged in snow.

The cold hadn't bothered him before…

There was a large chunk of him missing on one side he decided. It was numb in places it shouldn't be. This didn't stop him from attempting to move the opposite however and, after what felt like the greatest effort he'd ever given, he raised his right hand up to the sky.

A hand. Bare skin.

A human?

Allowing his arm to fall back into the snow, he took deep, heaping breaths and blinked, attempting to get the fuzziness out of his vision.

It was all so much effort however.

For a while then, he laid there, watching as the sky went from blue to orange to black. Stars, that was what those were, the flickering lights above him.

He fell asleep, he thought.

He woke up to that dark blanket of heavens however, so he couldn't have been out long. Even so, he felt slightly more capable than he had before. Straining, he managed to turn his head one way, then another. Upon facing the left however, he spotted the shimmering lights of a city.

_Zanarkand,_ a voice whispered to him.

He was outside Zanarkand.

Somehow, he knew this was bad. He wasn't safe.

He had to get to the city.

Or maybe it was the city that wasn't safe. Abruptly he wasn't sure. But he did know that, either way, he needed to somehow go in that direction.

He had to.

Zanarkand.

* * *

**A/N: **Poor Leviathan, all hurt and bleeding. I'm aware that there wasn't any blood in Final Fantasy X, which throws up for debate whether living people in the game could bleed at all. We're never really given a clear view of such as, I think, much of that was probably censored (as it is in many Final Fantasy games). In my version, the living bleed however, so that, as they say, it that.

As I said also before, above, I edited the two previous chapters and axed Kimahri from the story because he really served no purpose and Auron appears as his younger self.

So… yeah, exciting chapter. Don't really want to say much on it however because I don't want to give anything away. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed and please let me know what you thought!

Thank you so much!


	4. The Joy in Pain

**Beyond Reality**

_Chapter 4: The Joy in Pain_

"So… I was wondering," Rikku started as she approached Auron, who was sitting on the couch. Yuna listened to them from her position at the window. "If maybe you could, I dunno," she sidled up next to him, the older man forced into lowering his book to pay attention, "show us around the city or something?" Honestly, it was shocking the question hadn't come up sooner. They were, after all, in Zanarkand. It was likely a given that they'd want to see the place.

"Of course not," Auron replied simply, giving no reason at all. And though Rikku gaped as though affronted, Yuna could detect the joking in his voice, even if her cousin couldn't.

"What do you mean?" Rikku plopped herself down on the couch beside him. "But I want to see the city!" She was pouting, staring up at him through swirling, doe eyes. And Auron, who sighed, supposed he'd have to give in sooner or later, so it was probably better sooner rather than later.

"I can take you out tomorrow," he decided, going back to his book. "After I get off work." Rikku clapped her hands happily before doing a sort of mini victory dance. And then, glancing over at Auron, she narrowed her eyes contemplatively before, much to his surprise, reaching out and wrapping his shoulders in a tight hug.

"H-hey," his deep voice started in surprise, Yuna glancing over at them then. "Rikku, stop." He tried to push her away, but his attempts were to little avail. Rather, Rikku, who wasn't one to be pushed off, only tightened her hold before, quite on the spur of the moment, managing to lay a quick peck on his cheek.

She then hopped away, turning to him only to say, "Maybe you're not such a meanie after all," before heading around to the kitchen.

Auron, quite annoyed, reached up and wiped the slobber from his cheek, growling as he sat back into the couch and returned to his book.

Shaking her head, Yuna was about to continue gazing out at the city nightlife, but her thoughts weren't going to be allowed their own path. Within the moment, Rikku had hopped over to her as well, looking quite pleased with herself. Yuna raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Are you gonna come with me and Auron tomorrow?" she asked, her gaze somewhat expectant. And despite this question being one that would obviously be asked of her, Yuna had little to say, her mouth opening as she tried to find something to respond with.

"I, well," she was abruptly assaulted by the realization that she had no desire to see the city. "I hadn't planned on it…" The idea actually made her a little sick, but she didn't suppose there were any words she could use to communicate this to her friends.

"But Wakka and Lulu are gonna come," she reasoned, the two being discussed glancing up from their positions at the kitchen table. Rikku had probably asked about their coming upon passing through. "It's gonna be fun."

"I'd rather not Rikku," Yuna waved her hand and shook her head, trying to dissuade her cousin with a soft smile.

"But why?"

"I… well… it's…"

"Leave her be Rikku," Auron reprimanded. "If she doesn't want to go, then her reasons for doing so are her own." Rikku looked about to object, to Auron that was, but Jecht, who was sitting on another couch, beat her to it.

"It would be fun if you came along Yuna," he started. "I know it's a lot bigger than anything in Spira, but it's not so bad." He was assuming that her hesitations stemmed from the city seeming intimidating. Rather, that had nothing to do with it. "We could catch a blitz game," since there was one nearly every night during the on-season.

"Yeah!" Wakka agreed whole-heartedly. "Lets do that!" He'd joined them in the living room, Lulu trailing slowly after. Her attention was on Yuna however, her brows concerned. She knew that Yuna had once been quite infatuated with the idea of Zanarkand. But things had changed it would seem, Lulu able to detect a bit of uneasy hurt in Yuna's expression.

"How about this," Lulu started. "I don't really care much for blitzball," unless she knew the team playing, "so how about you four catch the game and I'll stay here with Yuna. I think her feelings are probably aligned with mine. Besides, a little peace and quiet would probably do the both of us good." Because the house was rather loud with all of them there.

"If blitzball isn't your stick, you can probably get Braska and Nhefrin to show you around some of the museums and stuff," Jecht added, still oblivious. "They like that kind of educational shit." Neither were there, having gone home some few hours before. Ever since the day they'd realized Yuna was there, some two days ago (the same day they'd gone hunting for Leviathan), they'd been dropping by after getting out of work. They didn't like to overwhelm her however, so they never stayed too long into the night, or asked her to come stay with them.

"I think we'll be fine here," Lulu decided quite firmly, the only one (other than Auron perhaps) who understood that Yuna wasn't quite ready to face the city. It still seemed so much like a dream to her, all of it (ironic really). Yet he wasn't there, so it all fell… flat.

"If you say so," Jecht waved them off. "If Tidus were here, he'd disapprove." He didn't mean to touch on the sensitive subject. Rather, his missing son was on his mind more often than not and the words had slipped out quite unintentionally. Yet, as before, he was unaware of the damage he'd committed.

Glancing back to the window, Yuna tried to ignore what he said, but couldn't deny that there was some truth in it. If he were there, he wouldn't want her avoiding the city.

But, if he were there, he'd be the one showing her around. As he'd said he would.

So many promises broken…

The silence that followed Jecht's comment was thick, no one knowing quite what to say in response. Some were at a simple loss for words while others, Wakka and Rikku among them, were still unsure if talking about Tidus was okay. Before any of them could gather their thoughts however, the woman beside Jecht cleared her throat, took a sip of her tea, and sighed.

"Well, Tidus isn't here," Chere interjected rather coldly. "So considering what he'd say is hardly relevant." She glanced up at Jecht then. "You should try focusing on other things."

And his response was painted quite obviously across his face. His son was missing during a time of war and she was trying to tell him not to worry? To say he was disgusted was a bit of an understatement. Yet Chere seemed to be quite oblivious to his animosity towards her, despite how everyone else had noticed it within the first day of meeting her. It would appear that they were getting to the root of the problem.

Having turned to watch the exchange, Yuna was vaguely reminded of a few words she and Tidus had exchanged upon entering the Farplane during her pilgrimage.

"_Whenever my old man was around, my mother wouldn't even look at me._"

It would appear she hardly considered thinking of him either.

"Wherever he is," she continued without even the slightest hint of worry, "I'm sure he's fine." She was looking up at Jecht, completely ignoring the whole room. Which was something she did quite regularly. Almost as if they didn't even exist. "You said it yourself that he's learned to defend himself. He has to grow up sometime." Her harsh words only served to humiliate and anger Jecht further, who was now staring straight ahead with wide eyes and pursed lips. "Have you considered that job offer from the Blitzball Association?"

"No," Jecht said firmly before pushing himself up into standing. He turned and headed towards the kitchen, Chere sighing quite dramatically before following after him. The others exchanged curious, awkward looks, but the most they got in response was a shrug from Auron.

"Jecht," Chere trailed after him, forcing him to stop and acknowledge her. "You've been offered one of the best jobs in the city and you'd rather fight monsters? What's the point?"

"Th-the point?" Jecht balked. "How many times do I have to tell you? This city is in danger! And there isn't much between it and the outside attacks. How can you act like what I'm doing isn't important?"

"Nothing is going to happen," Chere sighed as if she were dealing with a mentally deranged hospital patient. "There's a shell around the city and even when fiends do come in, they're hardly much of a threat." So basically, to her, and nearly every other citizen in Zanarkand, things weren't any different than they had been before. That was the line that was drawn between the city – those who constantly feared for their lives and those who couldn't bring themselves to take it seriously.

"You don't…" Jecht was exasperated, perhaps because they'd had this conversation a dozen times before. "You don't understand, alright? You don't know what the real world is like." Or what was really going on, which was something none of them really had any facts on.

"That doesn't make any sense," Chere countered. "You should be considering your career Jecht, not-"

"My career?" Jecht shook his head. "My career doesn't matter!"

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Chere rebuked hotly. "I hate what Spira did to you! You've lost all good sense. There was a time when your career was the most important thing to you!"

"Yeah, Chere, it was, and because of that, I barely remember anything from my son's childhood," it all came back around to Tidus. "He's an adult now, and he's gone. Funny how quickly that kind of stuff can happen." He huffed. "I'm not going to spend my time announcing blitzball stats when I might be able to make a difference in saving the people here." Most of which didn't understand how quickly life was swept away or how insignificant they actually were. But that didn't really matter when Jecht considered how much he'd regretted upon being culturally shocked by Spira.

Priorities.

"Will you quit going on about Tidus?!" their argument was getting rather heated the others realized, but there wasn't much to do about it. "Since when did you care so much about him? You said it yourself when I got pregnant that you wanted as little to do with him as you could! That children were nothing more than a bur-"

"Yeah, well, maybe I changed my mind," Jecht replied rather immaturely. "Maybe I changed it as soon as he was born and just didn't tell you."

"Well you showed your affection quite convincingly," she replied sarcastically.

"Wh- _me_?!" he sputtered. "At least I didn't pretend he didn't exist! Don't even look at me that way; I know how you were when I was around, and _wasn't_ around. The only reason you wanted to have him in the first place is because you needed a play toy to entertain you when I wasn't there. How many times did I have to get after you to take him shopping for school, orchange his diapers, or _feed_ him because, contraire to popular belief, toddlers shouldn't be allowed to rummage through the fridge on their own. Yet, somehow, he's got it in his head that _I_ was the horrible parent!" Which served him with guilt because, quite honestly, neither of them had been anything close to good to him. For the short period of time they'd even been around…

"You act like you were some kind of saint!" Chere accused and Jecht growled.

"That's not what I'm…" he huffed again. "You're unimaginable." And it sounded almost like he was stalking away, though where to, none of the others could fathom. The house was only so big after all.

"I'm just trying to focus on putting our life back together!"

"Don't you get it Chere?!" Jecht shouted, apparently at his limit with her, and a few in the room listening flinched. "This life isn't real! You died! So did I! We're only here on the basis of trying to fix this whole thing! Or at least I am. Can't really say why you're here!" And the way he said it made it quite apparent that he'd rather she wasn't, which probably wasn't going over well with her.

Before any kind of rebuke could be offered however, a loud rapping at the door drew everyone's attention. Quick in wanting to halt the argument, Rikku jumped to her feet.

"The food must be here!" she announced rather too loudly before skipping to the door. Hastily pulling it open, and thankful the two combatants were remaining quiet, she prepared a greeting, the words on her lips, but was frozen stiff when she realized it wasn't, in fact, the authentic Zanarkand delivery Auron had ordered earlier (because he refused to cook apparently).

"You have to let me pay Rikku," Auron scolded as he got up from the couch, ready to join her at the door and quite unprepared for what awaited him there.

"We…we were just… talking about you…" Rikku muttered as Auron reached her, he too forced into freezing upon seeing the man that stood before them.

"Oh yeah?" was the voice everyone in the house heard and, quite jarringly, recognized. Yuna felt her entire body get cold, her heart freeze. "I guess I do regulate a certain amount of attention." He sounded joking, though he gathered no response. "Hey Auron," he started again a moment later. "You're looking… young."

"Yeah…" Auron stated, equally as shocked as the rest of them. And the only thing Yuna could really process was that, compared to a year before, his voice sounded slightly deeper.

"Is that Tidus?" Jecht's anger had evaporated as he stared at the door, forgetting his wife entirely.

If his son had heard his exclamation, it was ignored.

"So…I guess it's true that you have visitors," that voice continued. "If it wouldn't be too much of a bother, I'd like to be, I dunno, invited in?" He said it as though it were obvious, which it kind of was.

"Uh, right," Auron agreed and, grabbing Rikku by the shoulder, he yanked her back as they stepped out of the way of the door. Despite knowing that he was about to enter however, Yuna found herself utterly unprepared. What would she do, or say, or even think? Her breathing picked up abruptly, as did her heart, her whole body running jumbled from her spot beside the window.

All eyes were on the door as he entered, his tall stature a shadow before revealing his full form.

And he was taller, at least a little more so than he had been before. And bigger perhaps, though not nearly as built as his father. About the only thing Yuna really noticed as being the same about him were his boots, which were still the same yellow and black. That aside, he sported dark leather shorts above surprisingly scarred and scratched up legs. Though, still, they weren't as bad as his father's. Above that, a dark, V-neck sweater covered his upper half, a strapped, short leather jacket suctioning to his shoulders and back.

His tanned face was older, sharper, though still possessing some of that boyish charm. His blonde hair was slightly longer, a patterned black bandana tied around his forehead, the excess hanging in front of his left ear.

And those eyes – blue as blue ever was.

Yuna's lips tightened.

When no one initially greeted him however, he raised his hands up and linked them behind his head, his gaze becoming uncertain as he surveyed the room. Eventually, his eyes had to find her. And as they did, they both stared at one another, frozen in eye contact.

Yuna found herself unable to look away.

And Tidus, trying to lighten the mood as he always did, managed to find the first word of conversation.

"Hey," he greeted lamely, his eyes still piercing Yuna's own.

Still it took a few more seconds for them all to gather themselves.

"I…" Rikku found her voice first. "I can't believe you're _here_!" She squealed, abruptly assaulted by happiness. Rushing forward, she threw herself at him in much the same way she had Auron, wrapping him in a hug that thoroughly surprised him and forced him to break eye contact with Yuna.

"Hey Rikku," he smiled slightly, patting her back a little awkwardly as she attempted to squeeze the life out of him.

"You're taller, ya," Wakka's voice still sounded a little of awe, but he approached Tidus nonetheless. "You lookin' good!" He too was quickly taken over by happiness at seeing him, the larger man slapping Tidus good-naturedly on the back and nearly sending him toppling to the floor atop Rikku, who only released him after realizing she wasn't the only one pleased to see him.

"Uh, thanks," Tidus smiled a little wider.

"Hey!" Jecht's harsh voiced interjected itself on them all, nearly every pair of eyes turning to look at him as he stomped his way towards his son. "Where the hell you been boy?!" he demanded to know, concern evident despite how he charged.

"Uh, I've been… busy?" was all Tidus offered, somewhat affronted by the way his father thrust his nose into his business. "What's it to you Old Man?"

It would appear Chere had retreated upstairs.

"What's it to me?" Jecht growled. "I'm your goddamn father, that's what! Who do you think you are, disappearing without telling anyone and then showing up here like nothin's wrong! I ought to kick your sorry ass!"

"You go ahead and try," Tidus said, his voice abruptly dark. "Let me know how that goes." The threat was hardly veiled as they stared at each other, the tension between father and son so thick that it weighed down on the whole room, lowering some of the joy at his coming.

"I'd rather not any ass kicking commence in my house," Auron interjected, finally having recovered his bearings. "Let's all try and get along for at least five minutes." He stared warningly at Jecht, who, despite how he glared at his son through a veil of hurt and worry, backed down accordingly. "Though I would like to know what you've been doing," he looked to Tidus then, his voice even, though slightly scolding, as he inquired.

"I've been busy," Tidus replied vaguely once more. "Mostly trying to figure this whole thing out," he gestured to the room, the city perhaps, as if such an explanation should mean something to any of them. "Can we quit with the interrogation for the moment? I'm here to see my friends, not be assaulted by you two." His father and Auron.

Pursing his lips, Auron agreed to be silent on the subject for the moment, though it was obvious he wasn't finished.

"Maybe you haven't changed as much as everyone seems to think," Lulu's velvety voice interjected on the conversation. "Still as hard-headed as ever, I think." She smiled some, giving allowance to be joking, and Tidus returned her show of affection.

"Thank you Lulu," he bowed his head slightly. "It's good to know you think no more or less of me." She nodded, smiling a little wider, and held out her arms to him. Walking forward, he allowed the rare show of affection from the older woman as she embraced him lightly, looking upon him fondly despite the disruption he'd caused.

"I suppose this means I've improved my chances none then?" he asked somewhat flirtingly, Lulu cocking a single eyebrow.

"You still have a long way to go little boy," she assured and Tidus sighed over-dramatically.

"Hey, hey!" Rikku jumped back into the conversation, no one seeming to notice that, despite the raucous going on downstairs, Chere never came back down. "How did you know we were here?"

"I, uh, I saw you," Tidus verified, reaching up to scratch the back of his head at the same time. "When you were… out by the shell a few days ago."

"And you waited a few days to come see us?!" she announced rather loudly, punching him on the arm. "What's wrong with you?!"

"I was busy!" he continued to defend, flinching away from her slightly.

"Too busy to come see us?!" she looked as though she would punch him again, but he reached up and grabbed her wrist. "We've been waiting to see you, you know," she was calmer then, lowering her act of offense. "Yunie was super disappointed when Auron said no one knew where you were."

Quite unintentionally, she'd brought Yuna into the conversation, who, until that point, had still refused to move from her seat at the window.

"Was she…" was all he said as he released Rikku's arm, his eyes slipping to Yuna again. The room fell silent then, Rikku backing away upon realizing that she was far from the most important person in the room, at least as far as Tidus was concerned.

Yuna, having gathered some of her wits by that point, pursed her lips further and, realizing that she and Tidus were now the center of attention, slowly rose to her feet. Her body seemed to be moving of its own accord however. All she registered was a sort of numbness overtaking her nerves, which only seemed to encourage her body more in its actions.

Tidus, who watched her as she slowly approached him, was quite silent, his eyes searching hers, trying to read her thoughts. Unfortunately, her gaze was as completely unreadable to him as it would have been to her. Her brain was in complete shock, her whole body as unfeeling as if it'd been submerged in the snow for days.

Yet, somewhere deep inside her, something was festering. Something was screaming.

Because, had she been as numb as she felt, her hand wouldn't have reached up as it did.

There wouldn't have been the violent sound of her flesh against his as her fingers slapped harshly into his cheek, sending him stumbling back a step.

And as if the sound were the break that shattered her resolve, she felt tears well up in her eyes, his shocked expression turning back to her as he reached up to caress the reddening mark inflicted on his face. He blinked, quite astounded, but Yuna found she didn't care. Hands gripping into fists at her sides, she tried to hold back the emotions that welled up in her throat, but was to no avail.

A single tear streaked down her cheek and he had the audacity to look first worried and then… guilty.

Lips trembling, she turned and fled, headed up the stairs as fast as she could. She didn't look back as she went, intent on reaching the third floor where her shared room might offer her some kind of solace.

The bottom floor however, full of gaping at what had just shattered the silence, didn't dare go after her. None of them, that was, except for Tidus. At first he'd stood motionless, trying to process as she'd vanished up the stairs. But soon his guilt at the hurt he'd seen in her eyes turned to anger at her flippant display of emotion. Eyes narrowing, he found his own emotions overflow at what she'd done, his head turning to the stairs as he pushed his feet up after her.

"Uh, Tidus…" Wakka tried to stop him, but Lulu held him back, shaking her head. This was something the two of them had to deal with and it was best if no one interfered.

"Hey," Jecht leaned in closed to Auron, murmuring quietly. "What was that all about?"

Auron sighed.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted, irritation zipping through his voice as he reached the third floor. Pushing his way down the hall, he went for the only room with the door closed. Spurred by both the desire to see her and anger at how she'd acted, along with a touch of confusion, he grabbed the handle and shoved his way inside without even a moment's hesitation.

She was there, standing at the far side of the room. Upon hearing him enter however, she whipped around to face him, those burning eyes, despite their tears, locking on him with a kind of hard determination that might have warned off a wiser man.

"Get out!" she shouted quite unnecessarily, Tidus pursing his lips indignantly as he took another step into the room.

"No," he replied and made a point of tossing the door closed behind him. It occurred to him, only shortly, that this was the first time he'd ever fought with Yuna. He supposed that, during the pilgrimage, they hadn't had time to fathom such luxuries. "What the hell is your problem?" his arms crossed sharply over his chest.

"You are!" she replied heatedly.

"Well I'm glad that's getting to the root of the issue," he mocked sarcastically, quite unaccustomed to this side of Yuna. He never would have fathomed she could act so uncivilly. "Please, feel free to elaborate."

"Tidus, go away," she decided again. Though her tone had dropped considerably, that didn't mean the power had left her eyes. Eyes that were constantly producing tears that streaked down her face, the sight of them softening Tidus' resolve some.

"I'm not going to leave Yuna," he said seriously.

"It was easy enough for you to do it before," she countered, the words leaving her lips tight as the verbal blow nearly caused Tidus to flinch back. Instead, however, it only stoked his anger further.

"Don't you think that's just a little bit childish?" he countered. "It's not like I could help what happened! That's just-"

"You could have told me!" she interrupted, her hands fists at her sides. "I asked you once about it, whether something was wrong, and you lied to me. You should have been honest!"

"What would have been the point?" he asked crossly. "Telling you, telling anyone, it wouldn't have changed anything. I still would ha-"

"You don't know that!" her hands were fists still, held up by her chest. "You were the one that promised to find a way to stop me from dying, that there was always another way. We could have found another way for you!"

"It's not that easy Yuna," he shook his head. "You were going to give up your life in order to give Spira a short period of peace. It would have been selfish of me to put my existence over being able to give Spira, and the fayth, peace from Sin forever. Besides…" he glanced down at the floor. "I promised to save _your_ life." Not his own.

"You're a hypocrite," she hissed, Tidus' eyes snapping back up to her angrily. "You preached about being able to find another way, not giving in, but you're the one that gave up. You broke all your promises. You're selfish, a liar, and a hypocrite!"

"Maybe I am!" he countered, though his response seemed to fizzle as he considered how lowly she apparently thought of him. "I thought I was doing the right thing, keeping it to myself. Spira would be free of Sin forever so long as I didn't object. Because what was my life compared to the thousands, millions, that would be spared when Sin was gone forever?"

"Yet you objected to me attempting the same thing," her hand was placed harshly across her chest.

"I had to learn somewhere, hadn't I?"

"I hate you."

"I don't care if you hate me," he replied, ignoring how her words stung him. "I don't regret what I did." Keeping his fate a secret. "You, everyone, you're all safe from Sin now. If I'd told the truth, would you have postponed the battle? How many more lives would have been lost?" He shook his head. "Even if I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn't change how I acted."

"How can you say that?!" her eyes attempted to blink back more tears, the effort to little avail. "To me, of all people." Her breath was fast, in junction with her heart perhaps. "I was ready to die, ready to face it all, and you stole it out from under me!"

"I stole it?" he sounded skeptical, eyebrows rising. "I stole your _death_? Yuna, that's insane!"

"You had no right to save me in exchange for yourself!" she shouted. "I didn't ask you to save me! Not at the expense of your own life!"

"Well I guess it's a good thing I didn't ask your opinion then," he raised his arms in exasperation. "I hadn't realized that keeping you from dying was such an offensive thing to consider. Remind me never to do it again!"

"You _promised_ _me_!" her voice almost shrieked, Tidus staring at her silently behind tight lips and flared nostrils. "You said that it wasn't till the end, but always! You promised me!" More tears fell from her eyes, Tidus' attitude once again softening. The fluctuating emotions were nearly enough to give them both whiplash.

Eyes falling away from her, he ignored the ball that had risen in his throat.

"You promised…" she murmured, her whole body seeming to sag under the weight of her words.

He closed his eyes.

"I know I did," he managed to reply. "But… sometimes promises are worth breaking." Yuna didn't want to hear his words, none of them. "I never knew Wakka's brother, Chappu, but his words… they stayed with me." He glanced back up at her then, searching her hurt and betrayed gaze. "He was right. It is good… to be with your girl," he dragged his eyes away again. "But keeping Sin far away from her _is_ better."

His eyes closed.

"You're a jerk…"

"I know…" He gulped, waiting a few seconds for his own emotions to dampen before glancing back up at her. "I'm sorry." Whatever such words were worth. He understood where she was coming from after all. How would he have felt if, after everything they'd gone through to beat Sin, he'd never known she was to die until it was too late?

It wasn't fair to her, what he'd done, but that didn't mean it hadn't been for the best.

She didn't say anything, her eyes closing and locking him away from their beautiful depths. Still tears dragged from her eyes and, unable to take the way his chest pulled at him any longer, Tidus stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Without any hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Her tears came faster in response.

"I'm so sorry Yuna," he murmured again, burying his face in her hair. How many nights had he dreamt of her? Nearly every single one. She had been, for a long time, the only thing that had kept him sane in a world that was as filled with death as Spira had been. In all the hard and unforgiving circumstances he'd since dealt with, she'd been the one to keep him grounded.

The idea that, somewhere out there, she'd been alive. Alive and well, living life in a Calm that would last forever.

Yet now she was there.

In Zanarkand.

Part of him wished she'd wasn't.

But worst of all, an even bigger part was beyond thankful that she had come. It disgusted him, his selfishness, but despite how he despised the feeling, there was nothing he could do then, at that moment, about her situation.

Or so he told himself.

"I hate you," she repeated again, her words muffled against his jacket. Her fists had come up to his chest, folded tightly as they lay against him. As if she were stopping herself from returning his embrace. "I hate you, I hate you…"

"Well," he took a deep breath, inhaling that familiar smell of coconut and beach flowers, ingraining it as deeply as he could into his cranium, "that's too bad because I love you." Despite having never said it to her, he'd whispered it over and over again to himself, when he'd had no choice but to pretend she was there in order to stay in the straight.

He couldn't count how many times he'd repeated those simple words. Words that were sometimes the only defense he had against the shadows.

Tightening his hold on her, he registered that she seemed to have sagged against him then, the tension leaving her body. Her fists unfolded, her hands flat against his chest, and for a moment he thought she'd given in to him. That he'd be able to stand there and hold her as long as he wanted, be it a few minutes or eternity.

Yet, even as he tried to claim her, the tightness returned to her muscles and with strength he hadn't anticipated from her, she shoved him back, forcing them to separate.

It was as painful as if she'd ripped his heart from his chest.

"No!" she denied him, turning away and pulling into herself.

"Yuna, please," he hadn't realized how desperate he was until that moment. How much he'd wanted to see her, be with her, touch her. Every nerve in his body was screaming for him to take her again, to keep her beside him. It was why he'd come there in the first place, wasn't it? To Auron's? To see her. Only her. "Yuna…" He reached out to her, his fingers trailing her back.

"**No**!" she shrieked again, her tone forcing him to pause despite how agony tore across his face. "What's the point?!" she stepped forward some, farther away from him, his eyes searching her retreating figure all the while. "We're from two different worlds and I… I'm _afraid_…"

"_When I… when I think about us never being together again at all…_

"_I'm afraid_."

It was then a mere two times he's heard her admit to fear. And both, to his despair, dealt with her fear of losing him. The first he'd heard her words whispered from her will, a sphere she'd dropped and he'd found. And then the second…

His shoulders dropped, his heart sinking.

But what had he really expected? She was right after all. It was impossible for them to be together. He couldn't fight the dead forever, just like the rest of Zanarkand, and soon they'd all fall victim to their ravaging claws. It was either that, or they found a way to release the pressure in the Farplane so the fayth could rest. Either way, it ended in his demise and her going on without him.

There was no way they could be together.

He shouldn't have come…

He tried to find something to say to her. Anything to make their terrible situation better. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Slowly but surely, the agony crept through him, shaking his lungs as he stepped back. As he pulled his eyes away from her figure. Though his heart beat, each pump was painful, shoving through his veins the heartbreak of reality.

He gulped again, trying to hold it back.

He found the door and, quietly, he slipped out, closing it behind him.

Standing there, in the familiar hallway, he tried to think straight, to get it all under control, but it was impossible. He couldn't be with her – she didn't want him around. And if that was the truth, then what he wanted more than anything was to be as far away from her as possible.

Get out as fast as he could.

Blindly, he went to the stairs and descended, faster perhaps than was safe. So indulged in the rejection that he should have seen coming, he was completely unprepared for the group of people waiting on the bottom level.

Struck dumb as he caught their concerned gazes, he was forced to stop at the bottom of the stairs, his mind and tongue numb to any words. But their expressions were so expectantly tense that he knew he had to find something to say.

But the words…

He glanced to the door, wishing more than anything that he was running through it. That he was as gone as he'd been for the last year. For the first time, he welcomed the insanity.

"Tidus…?" Lulu's voice was a jarring blade through his skull, nearly causing him to jump as he flicked his gaze to her concerned wine eyes.

"I have to go," the words poured out of him suddenly, a vomiting defense against their questions. His body, too, seemed to be released then and, as directly as he could, he tried to head for the door.

"Wait!" Rikku's voice called after him, forcing him to freeze with his hand around the doorknob. He needed to get out of there however, the room was suffocating him and he knew his emotions were only a single layer from being totally exposed. An unfortunate weakness he'd still failed to conquer. "I…" she might have been about to object to his leaving, but thought better of it. "Auron is taking us out to see the city tomorrow," she ventured. "Can you come too?"

And he was ready to say anything to get out of there.

"Sure, fine," was what he managed in reply before shoving the door open. Exiting quickly, he was gone as fast as he'd come.

The room behind was left in a stagnant kind of pause, everyone staring at the door where he'd been only moments before.

None were able to even consider commenting.

**oOo**

The weakening sunset streamed in through the window, casting the room in a floating orange haze. She hardly noticed it however, too wrapped up in staring at the wall, ignoring the dried salt spotting her cheeks. Her eyes were tired, heavy, but they wouldn't close. Because every time they did, all she saw was ocean blue.

"Yuna?"

She'd been wondering when she'd be interrupted.

Deciding it wasn't yet necessary to rise from her position lying on the bed, Yuna listened as Lulu, who's voice had been muffled behind the door, pushed her way inside before quietly closing the room up behind her. Still she didn't react. Not out of the want of not wanting to talk, but merely because she didn't have the energy to consider doing so. "Yuna…" Lulu said again, her whispering footsteps making their way across the room. Soon she had rounded the bed, staring down at Yuna with those concerned red eyes. And Yuna, who supposed she couldn't very well pretend her adopted sister wasn't there, forced her gaze to move that way, allowing herself the acknowledgment of only surface information.

She was reminded, as she always was, of the gorgeousness of her older counterpart. Lulu was, by Spirian standards, a rather rare beauty. With skin the color of alabaster and hair matching in tone a crow's feather, she really was quite stunning. Her long hair was tied back in a single braid now, the thick tresses cascading down over her shoulder. Still, however, her bangs hung over her left eye, covering a scar she'd acquired sometime in her youth that had robbed her of that eye. It didn't detract from her looks however, only seeming to increase her sense of mystery. Add her incredible figure on top of that and she was probably nearly irresistible to the eyes of anyone, men and women alike.

She hadn't come into the room to hear praises over her physical appearance however, her eyes still trained on Yuna with furrowed brows of concern. Reaching out, she laid her carefully manicured hand on Yuna's leg, as if to offer comfort through touch.

Yuna sighed.

"Everyone is worried about what happened," her velvety voice started after a few more seconds of silence. "Tidus looked really upset when he left…" Yuna closed her eyes then, trying to decide if she really wanted to talk about it or just brush off Lulu's words. Part of her knew, however, that she couldn't push this away. Not anymore.

Not now that _he_ was there.

Slowly, ignoring how her body echoed with the pain inside her head, she sat up, the covers of the bed falling away.

Lulu waited with patiently pursed lips.

"I don't know what you want me to say," Yuna eventually explained, her eyes focused on the bed. She knew she was evading the subject, and so did Lulu, but how was she supposed to tackle talking about such a thing?

"I don't want you to say what you think I want you to say," she replied easily, her tone possessing that oddly comforting sternness Yuna imagined her mother might have had were she to have actually known the woman during her childhood. "But I do think you need to talk about this. With someone."

"I'd rather not," Yuna replied honestly, Lulu huffing in slight exasperation.

"You're being immature," she scolded lightly, Yuna glancing up at her in slight surprise. That hadn't been the reaction she'd expected. "Trust me, I know," she continued. "Believe it or not Yuna, I've been where you are. Well, perhaps not where you are now, but where you were before." Her red eyes fell away then, Yuna realizing, for the first time in a year, that perhaps she _had_ been being selfish.

"I'm sorry Lulu," she murmured, the older woman smiling lightly and shaking her head.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," she assured, reaching out and taking Yuna's hand in her own. "It's terrible, losing the one you love and… and knowing they weren't being honest with you. It took me a long time to get over Chappu joining the Crusaders. For going into a battle that was… impossible to win." Or so it had seemed at the time. "I felt exactly as you did, which is why I never pressured you into moving on. It's been longer for me and still I have a hard time getting past it."

"But…" Yuna furrowed her tired eyebrows. "What about Wakka?"

"Wakka," Lulu shook her head. "Wakka is… something different entirely. Love doesn't just jump from one person to another. I'll always love Chappu, always miss him. No one can take his place – no one should have to." She took a deep breath. "What's between Wakka and I is new and… different. Mostly because I never thought he'd be the one I'd end up with."

"He's always looked after you, I think," Yuna forced a grin. "You don't sound as though you're all that thrilled at the idea of… being with him." Because, though they spent a considerable amount of time together, Yuna couldn't say she'd noticed much of a difference between Lulu and Wakka, other than that they sat a little closer to one another sometimes.

"Wakka and I share a very… different connection than Chappu and I did," she explained quietly, rubbing Yuna's hand. Probably more for her own comfort than anything. "Everything between Chappu and I had been passion and speed. Not in the sense that we rushed into things, but it was always so… intense. Deep. Dramatic." She laughed. "We were very young."

"You and Wakka aren't like that," Yuna knew.

"No," Lulu agreed. "Wakka has always been much more patient and steady than Chappu. He waits, even if sometimes he doesn't know what he's waiting for, and he… he lacks a lot of the passion that Chappu had."

"Is that… bad?"

"No, it's just different," she continued, perhaps hoping that in divulging her own feelings, she'd be able to help Yuna. "Neither one is better than the other really. Things with Chappu had always been exciting, but I remember always being exhausted as well. Whereas Wakka prefers to live life as it is, slowly, enjoying even when there's nothing to enjoy."

"Your mood seems to… fluctuate a lot less now," Yuna observed, ignoring how scratchy her voice was.

"Wakka is much better at keeping me in a good mood, I think," Lulu assured, their eyes meeting knowingly. "Chappu liked to get me riled up, even if when I was happy it was a bliss beyond any. Things with Wakka are easy though because, despite how he might appear," they both smiled, "he's actually very intuitive, at least about me. He may not be very worldly, but he's more sensitive than Chappu. I think."

She shook her head then. "But I didn't come in here to compare Wakka and Chappu," she affirmed, Yuna looking back down at the bed upon realizing that the conversation was coming back around to her. "I came to talk about you."

She raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"What about?" Yuna asked. Lulu didn't speak however, as if she were waiting for Yuna to sort through her thoughts. To figure out the whole mess for herself. "Lulu…" she eventually started. "Did you ever forgive Chappu?" Her tone was somewhat broken, but it was hardly worth attempting to cover up.

"Forgive him?" Lulu was thoughtful. "No, I don't think I ever did. Nor do I think that I ever will." Yuna glanced quickly back up at her. "But what he did, the choices he made, I don't think he'd want me to forgive him for those. Whatever critics might say, he believed he was in the right and wouldn't seek my forgiveness. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to forgive."

Yuna pursed her lips.

"I did, however, move past it," Lulu continued. "Which is sometimes just as liberating as forgiveness."

"What am I supposed to move on to?" Yuna asked quietly.

"I think you have to… consider what happened more carefully Yuna," she sounded a little sterner then, as if preparing for a hard point. "Perhaps he was dishonest, but you know perfectly well that, given the same situation, you'd have done the same thing."

Yuna looked away.

"I know you're angry because he didn't give you the chance to try and save him, but I also know that, given the opportunity to bring that kind of peace to Spira, you'd have acted the exact same way. You attempted to and were only halted because he pointed out to us the error in our ways and beliefs.

"And don't tell me you would have been honest about the situation had it been you in his shoes. You weren't honest about Seymour because you were more concerned with trying to save us all the grief of the situation. Tidus was acting no different.

"Unfortunately, I think that may be the biggest problem the two of you have," she smiled comfortingly, their eyes meeting once again. "You're both so similar." She continued to stroke Yuna's hand. "Both of you are utterly determined to think of everyone else before yourselves. Which, for the record, is a kind of selfishness in itself."

Yuna smiled. But, though she supposed there was some humor in the thought, it quickly became bitter. As everything concerning Tidus always did.

"That's far from our biggest problem," her words were barely audible, her throat filling with the emotion she'd been suppressing throughout their entire conversation. "Even if I did move past what happened, what… what would be the point?" Closing her eyes, she tried to hold back the tears that fell, the liquid streaking slowly down her cheeks.

And Lulu, whose chest swelled with sympathy, considered her words very carefully.

"There is no point Yuna," she offered quietly. "Humans, we… we go through life looking for purpose in all things, assuming that everything we do will lead us from one moment to the next. That everything we accomplish means something. But, really, it doesn't. Life is… a mess. Trying to find the point in what we do, it's futile.

"Fact of the matter is, if I had just one day," she held up her finger, Yuna listening despite her roiling thoughts. "One day only to spend with Chappu again. Oh Yuna, I'd take it, void of point." She smiled sadly, Yuna furrowing her brows, not entirely understanding.

"I'm not saying I'd choose him over Wakka," she shook her head. "That's not really relevant. Like I said, I'll always love Chappu, and for that reason I'd take the pain that would result from that one day. People forget that… that pain is only the result of knowing what's better. Yuna, you've spent so much of your whole life trying to save other people from their pain that you… you've failed to understand it.

"Without pain, life would be empty. Because it is in comparison to pain that we understand joy. Perhaps it is foolish that I would put myself through needless agony to feel just one day's worth of happiness, but without that agony, I'd never know that I'd been happy in the first place.

"You cannot have one without the other. By loving each other, being friends, being around one another, we're all subjecting ourselves to pain somewhere down the line. But isn't it worth it if only to taste the happiness that comes with it? I've learned, Yuna, that that is what life is really about."

"But Lulu," Yuna took a deep, shaking breath. "Tidus and I… we'll never be together…" More tears fell from her eyes. "No matter what happens, we'll…" They'll be separated.

"You're together now Yuna," Lulu took both her hands then, squeezing them. "Maybe it's not forever, but he is here, now, and he wants to be with you." That much had been obvious when he'd left the house. "And when you're separated again, it will be… terrible, but if you don't take advantage of the day you've been given Yuna, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

It was a day that Lulu knew she'd never get.

"But I…" Yuna's words were interrupted by her tears, her whole body shaking. "I'm _afraid_…" She shook her head.

"Afraid of what?" Lulu asked. "Afraid of losing him, or afraid of the pain?"

"I… I…"

"You can't lose him Yuna," Lulu murmured. "So long as you have him in your memories, he's always there. But the time you have to make those memories is short, even for those of us that get to spend our whole lives together. When you're separated, you'll still remember him Yuna. So why not remember as much of him as you can?"

"Oh Lulu…" she tried to calm her breathing, but the attempts were to little avail. "I just…" It was some moments then before she could gather herself, consider Lulu's words fully. Forcing her breathing to even out, she grabbed her emotions and throttled them, if only for the sake of being able to express herself in a way the woman with her would understand. "But I… As a summoner, I was always taught that… that being attached was…" She took a deep breath. "Auron warned me not to get attached."

"We are not enlightened enough to forgo attachment," Lulu smiled once more. "We are human Yuna and, had I been wiser a year ago, I might have encouraged you into feeling differently as well. It is our attachments to the people and places around us that define us. Even a summoner, who gives their life to save the people they love and the world they live in. To be unattached is… impossible…"

"But… my parents… Auron, he…"

"Auron likes to pretend he is wiser than he is," her words weren't harsh, but factual. "I was never one to take sides Yuna, you know that. I'm an observer. And it is because of this, I think, that I was able to understand these things. Auron, he… he's just as afraid as you are.

"Don't be controlled by fear Yuna," she reached up then, taking Yuna's face in her hands and delicately wiping away some of her tears with her thumbs. "You've shown courage in the face of death, in the face of Sin. Do not let this be your undoing."

Yuna's eyes fell to the sheets, the shadows in the room having slowly vanished as night pooled in through the windows. As she considered, for the first time, the fact that she really was alive. That her pain, which she had no idea what to do with, was proof enough of that.

"Don't let life pass you by."

Proof enough.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh sad chapter. Poor Tidus and poor Yuna. Their situation really is rather hopeless. But, a better point, Tidus sure showed up out of nowhere, didn't he? Bam, like a boss. Also, his mom is terrible. But I always remembered watching those scenes in the game and thinking that if what Tidus said about his mother was true, she couldn't have been any better than Jecht. Thus, her character was developed. Though I don't think Tidus even knows she's there yet…

So, Lulu had a nice heart to heart with Yuna. Wonder what will happen next then? Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to see ^-^

**Please R&R.** Your reviews, though there don't seem to be that many, keep me updated on how you think the story is going and I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

Also, because I've been so disgusted lately with the path Square is taking the Final Fantasy X story in (anyone read about the novella /cry. As if FFX-2 wasn't bad enough), I've been considering, were I in charge of the Final Fantasy X story, what I would do. Therefore, as kind of a fun bonus, I'm going to keep a kind of Author Note journal where I address, were this a game, how the mechanics would operate. So, feel free to read if you want.

**If this were a video game** – First and foremost, there would be a lot less emotional weight because, if this were a game, we'd have just spent the last four hours watching it like a movie, lol. A lot of what happens between Tidus and Yuna would be, unfortunately, gone and replaced with less dramatic inserts. But seeing as this is a fanfic and not a game, it's okay to be included in the above, which is why you'll get all the extra character development that you wouldn't normally see in a game, but that I think we can all agree probably happened behind the scenes in the original. Secondly, I would make the entirety of Final Fantasy X-2 a dream sequence. Again, this wasn't addressed in the beginning of the fic because it was unnecessary, but, were this a game, it'd start out with flashes of Final Fantasy X-2 before Yuna wakes up in a cold sweat, her thoughts explaining that she dreams every night of farfetched ways in which she's reunited with Tidus (and there'd probably be a comment on how she'd been particularly stupid in the most recent one). Because, sadly, I can't undo Final Fantasy X-2, but I can, hopefully, pass over it. So there, that's the first entry in my "If this were a game" journal. Next chapter, I'll discuss the battle system!

Thank you everyone and please, please leave a **review**.


	5. Thunder and Lightning

**Beyond Reality**

_Chapter 5: Thunder and Lightning_

He wasn't quite sure what he was doing.

Sitting at the picnic table in the park, surrounded by buildings and people and machina, he twiddled his thumbs and looked back and forth between his own position and the exit. He couldn't very well leave however, or so he kept telling himself. He'd already told Rikku he'd come, twice, and to abandon his word would make him more of a jerk than he already was. He had no desire to offend his friends, especially when he did, in fact, actually want to see them.

But then there was Yuna…

"_So are you going to come or not?_" Rikku had asked, Tidus furrowing his eyebrows as he'd spoken into his home phone.

"Rikku, I can't hear you very well. There's something wrong with Auron's phone."

"_Really?_" There'd been some shuffling, then Auron's voice saying "You're holding it upside-down." Rikku had "Ohhhed" and soon their conversation had continued.

"I don't know Rikku," he'd replied. "I kind of have a lot to do today…" A lie, but she didn't need to know that. His schedule these days was determined by outside conditions, and today Zanarkand looked sunny and oddly warm, though dark "clouds" (because they weren't actually real he supposed) hovered on the horizon. The forecast was predicting an out of sorts winter thunderstorm before the temperatures dropped back to below freezing.

"_You said you would!_" she'd pleaded in that whiney way she was prone to, which generally got her what she wanted. "_C'mon, please? Everyone is going. Even Yunie is going and she said she wasn't going to at first._"

"Uh…" Tidus had tried not to be injured at the mentioning of her name. "I think that's probably all the more reason for me not to go." Because he hadn't imagined that Yuna would want to see him. Not after their argument the day before.

"_No, no,_" Rikku had started quickly. "_When I asked Yunie again whether she'd go, I told her you said you'd come too. At first she looked a little hesitant, but then she said she'd go after all._"

"Really…" had hadn't bought it.

"_Yeah! C'mon Tidus, we barely got to see you…_"

He'd sighed, part of him growing curious enough of Yuna's behavior to say yes. Pursing his lips, he'd listened as Rikku begged a bit more before finally giving in.

"Alright, alright, I can probably stop by for a little while," he'd said to Rikku's shouting excitement. From there, he'd received, via Rikku talking to Auron, the time and location of their tour, which was to begin in central Zanarkand's shopping district down on the lower level around four, after the older individuals got off work.

Which was where he was, currently, waiting.

It was some three minutes after four then, which meant they'd be pulling up to the parking lot before him soon enough. And with every second that passed, he grew more and more anxious. Part of him knew that, if Yuna was still angry with him, she'd ignore him the whole time, which was a rejection he wasn't sure he could handle. He didn't deal with rejection very well in the first place. Yet, a more hopeful part of him, tried to agree with Rikku that maybe she'd decided to go because he'd be there. Though, considering what had happened between them the day before, he found that to be highly doubtful.

Maybe he should just leave the city entirely.

Eyes flicking to the side, he felt his whole body sag as Auron's familiar car pulled up to the parking lot. It was followed by his father's sports car (he could tell because the top was down), which didn't improve his mood any. Another vehicle pulled up lastly. As he watched, his friends began to file out, as well as his father, and two people he recognized as Yuna's parents. Furrowing his brows, he considered the odd phenomenon for a moment, but was able to deduce that if Auron and the Old Man had been brought back, then the same was to be said of Braska and Yuna's mother.

And even as he thought of her, he saw Yuna step out of Auron's back seat. As she had been the day before, she was clad in a simple, long white dress, probably the only clothes she had based on the fact, he realized, that it was somewhat stained with red. As if it'd been spotted with blood and washed, the marks remaining, though faded. She was glancing around curiously, examining the city, and for a moment a shock was shot through him, their words in Macalania all that time ago echoing in his head.

He found, rather abruptly, that he wanted to be the one to show her the city. _His_ city.

The idea, though perhaps unrealistic considering their last exchange, gave him courage and, standing, flexed the fingers of his left hand before rolling his shoulder, a new nervous habit, before taking a deep breath and slowly making his way over. Rikku was, naturally, the first to take notice of him.

"There he is!" she pointed him out for all to see, his eyes both avoiding yet centered on Yuna at the same time. She looked directly at him upon his position being revealed, but then looked away just as quickly. He could gather nothing from her blank expression. And Tidus, wanting to keep his problems to himself, forced a grin onto his face as he reached them.

"You're late," he tapped his watch teasingly, glancing pointedly at Auron. Again, he was forced to notice how young the older man looked, but was soon past it. After all, it was what the man had looked like when he'd first met him eleven years prior. Nothing new really (other than the whole 'both eyes' thing).

"Four minutes," was all Auron said, not falling victim to Tidus' immaturity.

"I don't want to hear you talking about other people being late," Jecht stomped up to the conversation. "You're the one that's been missing for a year!" His father poked him harshly in the chest, Tidus both irritated but also satisfied because he was able to look his father directly in the eyes and not up at him.

"It's been eleven years since my personal affairs were any of your business Old Man," he countered. "That's not going to change now." And Jecht, who tried to hide how wounded he was by the words, huffed, crossed his arms, and looked away.

"Hey, hey!" Wakka came up to him then, smiling and slamming his arm around his shoulders good-naturedly. "Auron says we gonna go see a blitz game!" And despite how Tidus had grown in both height and bulk over the last year (an improvement he'd only recently discovered himself), Wakka was still far larger and jostled him easily, causing Tidus to stumble a step. "Too bad you not on the team anymore, the Abes that is."

"Is that who's playing tonight?" Tidus asked no one in particular as Wakka finally released him.

"That's what Sir Jecht said," Rikku piped in.

"Ah, well," Tidus grinned, crossing his arms over his chest, "they'd probably let me back on the team for one game, if I asked them." He clicked his tongue. "I'm just that awesome."

"Hmph, modest," Jecht grumbled.

"Yeah, I wonder who I learned that from," he rebuked sarcastically, not even bothering to glance at his father as he did.

"But before that," Rikku hopped up to him happily, "Auron says we can go shopping, which will be great because I'm tired of wearing this dress when it's so cold here all the time." Tidus supposed he could sympathize. Though his uniform hadn't been particularly insulated, because the blitz stadiums were kept under temperature control, most of his other clothes had covered considerably more. Zanarkand, during the summers, got moderately warm, but the winters, which they were in now, were always colder. Granted, they were coming up on spring, which accounted for the oddly warm weather that day, but still it'd be chilly further into the week.

Besides that, Tidus decided, Yuna's dress was stained, which was reason enough for her to get new clothes.

"Then let's go already," Auron grumbled his way into the conversation, sounding just as old as he actually was. He pulled some attention his way, Rikku bounding over and beginning to rap on him and his attitude as they slowly started their way across the street and into the beginnings of the shopping district.

Tidus' attention, however, fell immediately to Yuna. And as if their whole group were aware that it would, he was left oddly alone, the rest of them filing forward and taking Auron's cue to move. Only Lulu cast him a pointed look, one that went from him to Yuna and was gone. It gave him some courage, but not enough to be convinced or certain.

Yuna, on the other hand, was still refusing to look at him. That didn't change the fact that she hung back from the group however, as if she were waiting for something. And Tidus, who was hardly able to focus on anything aside from her, found himself inexplicably drawn to her. The closer he got, the more the world around him seemed to fade. The buildings diminished, the crowd lessened, the noise was muffled. Everything slowly evaporated until all he could see was the way her hair fluttered in the breeze, how her fingers twined together in what he recognized as anxiety. The way the beach seemed to waft from her skin. He was intoxicated.

Yet, despite his stupor, he wasn't deaf to the words they'd exchanged the day before. So even as he approached her, he was careful. Wary. And it wasn't until he closed the distance between them to a mere few feet, until she slowly glanced up at him, that he felt the breath he'd been holding seep away.

Her eyes flicked back and forth, seeming to look at him and avoid him all at the same time.

There was silence.

They were alone.

Tidus gulped.

Somehow, he supposed they were expected (by each other, by outsiders) to address what had happened the day before. But Tidus, not in the essence of avoiding the subject, wanted to move past it as quickly as possible, if that even _were_ possible. Mostly because, no matter how he thought about it, he saw no plausible way in which they could discuss it and end up on better terms with each other.

It was a thing that had happened. He knew it wasn't that simple, but he saw few alternative ways to view it. At least, no alternatives that got him what he wanted. And, well, he was a sucker for getting his way.

So was Yuna.

She glanced away from him again, her hands working more vigorously against each other as her nerves skyrocketed with his.

He coughed.

She cleared her throat.

"Hey…" he said.

"I, um…" said she.

Silence.

Tidus took a deep breath.

"So…" his voice sounded foreign, or maybe it was the distance he was keeping from her that he didn't really want to that was making it seem that way. "I, well…" Words. He needed to find some useful ones. "I… don't know what to say right now."

Honesty was the best policy after all.

"I don't… either…" she admitted quietly, slowly allowing her eyes to flick back up to his. For a moment, they just stood there, lost, perhaps, in the searching looks they casted at each other. However, the weight of the silence between them got heavier and heavier by the moment. If they didn't do something about it soon, they'd have no choice but to pull back again. They could only stand by awkwardly for so long, as it were.

Such thinking didn't bode well with Tidus however and, desperate, he tried to find another way to get to her. Words weren't working, so, quite unconsciously, he found his gloved hand reaching out to her. Though he couldn't feel her skin against his own – the barrier between them was still intact – he could sense the smoothness as he allowed the backs of his fingers to trail her bare upper arm.

Maybe it was an apology; maybe it was just his way of expressing how much he missed her. Or perhaps it was simply a physical act of articulating things he wasn't sure she wanted to hear. Testing the waters.

She watched him, her eyes on his hand as it traced across her skin. And when it fell away, slowly retreating back to his side, she found her breath shaking ever so slightly inside her chest.

"Yuna…" her name came whispering from his lips and, wanting to be brave, she slowly turned to face him, her chin falling back up until they were looking at each other once again. Reaching out herself, her fingertips delicately found the base of the V in his jacket, where his chest was revealed. And as the warmth from his skin caressed her touch, she was abruptly aware of the fact that he was actually there, with her, and that she'd pushed him away the day before.

It all welled up in her throat once again, only this time the anger was gone. In its place was desolate desperation.

"Yuna," he said her name again, this time with a bit more certainty. Reaching out once again, he gently allowed his hands to find her face, to frame those eyes, those _eyes_, and those trembling lips. He took a step closer to her.

Leaning his forehead against her own, he closed his eyes, taking in the essence of her. The feeling of her hands as they both lay flat, almost gripping, at his chest. As she breathed warm, unsteady ghosts across his lips, the sound of her inhaling and exhaling music to his ears. He wanted to smile and cry all at the same time, but was stuck with a suffocating weight in his throat and the back of his head instead.

And then her lips were on his, her whole body moving lightly against his own as she stretched up to meet him. The air between them was gone, the point of their focus entirely on each other as he pressed back down into her. A feeling he'd envisioned for so many days and nights run together, but always just a memory. She was there, with him, at that moment –

They were together.

"You shouldn't spy," Auron whispered in her ear, Rikku whipping around to look at him from her position leaning against the back of a bench. Some ways off, she'd been watching Yuna and Tidus, totally engrossed in the timid way they'd approached each other, as if the very world between them were made of glass. It made her sigh, but it also made her envious.

"But look at them," she'd flicked her attention back to the couple. "They're so…" She couldn't even find a word to describe it.

"Yes, they certainly are," Braska interjected, both Auron and Rikku turning to look at him. He stood beside Jecht, the two of them watching the couple with heightened intent, Nhefrin a few blocks off showing Lulu and Wakka around one of her favorite shops. "You never mentioned this when you talked about my daughter's pilgrimage." He looked pointedly at Auron.

"Yeah," Jecht agreed childishly.

"It wasn't really any of my business to say anything on the matter," was all he offered with a shrug.

"I woulda liked to know," Jecht gestured to the couple still quite indulged in one another, though they were talking now. "Kid doesn't deserve a girl like that…" Braska only half nodded before seeming to think a little harder on the idea.

"What-do-ya-mean?" Rikku asked accusingly, jumping forward from her position propped up on the bench. "They're totally in love with each other! And Tidus makes Yunie happier than I've ever seen her…" She pouted.

"Love?" Braska cocked a skeptical brow, though the concern on his face was evident. He glanced to Auron for verification.

"It is, unfortunately, true," he verified rather darkly. And Rikku, who was about to object to his terminology, was silenced when he cast her a warning glance. She kept her mouth closed, at least for the moment, and turned back to Jecht and Braska.

"They're just kids," Jecht eventually decided, him and Braska sharing a similar look. "There are plenty of guys in Spira more worth your daughter's time than my son." Rikku wanted to object again, but Auron was still giving her that look. "She'll forget about him, trust me." Patting Braska on the shoulder, he then turned the other man away, the two glancing only quickly at Yuna and Tidus before heading down the street towards the shop where the others were.

Rikku released a huffy breath, her gaze zipping to Auron.

"What's his deal?!" she asked angrily. "Tidus is good enough for Yunie! Why do they have to act like it's such a bad thing?" She flopped down onto the bench, glaring up at Auron because he'd been just as negative.

"It is a bad thing Rikku," he replied coldly. "Jecht wasn't insulting Tidus the way you might think he was." He glanced to where Tidus and Yuna were still standing, talking to one another, and sighed.

"Sure sounded like it…"

"Don't you understand?" he asked sharply, Rikku surprised at the haste of his reply. "They're from two different worlds. Braska and Jecht weren't worried because they think Tidus isn't good enough. It's because he, like the rest of us here in Zanarkand, are fated to fade away."

"I know that," Rikku muttered in reply, digging at the ground with her toe. "I'm not stupid you know…" Auron pursed his lips. "But… Yunie's just been so depressed…"

"And she'll be more so if they keep up as they are," he scolded. "They should know better."

Rikku rolled her eyes. "You're so mean."

"I'm being realistic."

"Haven't you ever been in _love_ Auron?"

"What?" his scratchy voice was once again dismayed at her. He took a moment to gather himself. "That's really none of your concern."

"Maybe it's not, but I already know that the answer is 'no,'" she was completely certain, Auron staring down at her disapprovingly. "Otherwise you'd understand. Maybe they are… doomed, but that's all the more reason to spend as much time together as they can, you know?"

"Because you're an expert?" he cocked a single brow. "And tell me Rikku, have _you_ ever been in love?"

"Well, I…" she cast him that accusing look once again before twitching away. "No, but-"

"Then I don't see why I should consider your opinion as legitimate."

"But I want to be!" she defended, standing abruptly and glaring at him. "You just don't get it because you're determined to hate everybody!"

"I don't hate everybody."

"Couldn't have convinced me," she slammed her fists to her hips haughtily. "I don't care if it ends in pain," she continued, her countenance softening once more as her eyes fell to the ground. "I want to feel the way Yunie and Tidus feel about each other. Because something like that has to be… has to be worth the pain."

"That's an unwise point of view," he determined, flaring her temper back up once again.

"Why?" she asked. "Because I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all? Like you?" His stare darkened. "Though I guess I can't expect anything more from a man that's been dead the last eleven years." And if she'd been looking to hit below the belt, she'd succeeded, because, for the first time since she'd met him, Auron actually flinched away from her words. Not in the sense of actually, physically, doing so, but in the way his eyes blinked and his mouth frowned, she could see it.

And as she considered the presumptions of her words, she realized just how unfounded they were. Auron had died _because_ he'd been too emotionally invested. She'd seen it with her own eyes in the memories imprisoned in the Zanarkand Ruins. Saying as much as she had had been an immature attempt to lash out at him, and made her feel even more childish than she'd acted.

"… I'm sorry…" she eventually muttered out. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, you shouldn't have," he replied, his tone chilly even by his standards.

Once again resorting to pouting, Rikku stared up at him, her expression slowly turning to one of contemplation. Auron had gone back to avenge his friends, had died doing so. Yet still he'd remained on Spira, gone on to fulfill the promises he'd made to his friends. He'd been worried about Tidus when he'd disappeared, and even then he worried over Yuna. And wasn't it strong emotions that kept the dead from passing on?

Abruptly, she realized that Auron felt a lot more than he let on. More deeply, perhaps, than a lot of people. It wasn't that he objected to emotions, but that his were simply more controlled. And when he did feel for another, it was rare and more deeply rooted than most.

Rikku suddenly felt as though her own emotions and desires were fickle by comparison.

"C'mon!" she jumped up and, despite his surprise, linked arms with him and started to drag him off down the street. "We should get going. You have things to buy me, remember?"

"How could I forget?" he drawled, not really putting up much of a fight against her strength as she bustled them into the store where the others had gone.

Soon enough, the entire group had come together, Yuna and Tidus eventually catching up as well. Nothing was said on their exchange, everyone, even the fathers, understanding that it really wasn't any of their business. It was apparent, however, that the couple was in much better sorts than they had been previously, or even in a long time, at least in Yuna's case. She was smiling, and it wasn't the fake expression she'd sported during the months past.

As they'd set out to do, the newcomers were soon set up with a more appropriate wardrobe, one in the style of the natives and that was more suitable for battle, what with Zanarkand at war and the fact that they were there, in the first place, to do something about it. Dinner was addressed afterwards, Jecht directing them to one of his favorite places just outside one of the blitzball stadiums (the one they were to attend). Thus, with most in high spirits, they made way for their meal, having to push two tables together to satisfy the group.

Handing out their menus with a smile, their waitress exchanged a few words with Jecht before, looking rather flushed, walking away. And Jecht, with a satisfied smile on his face, settled into his chair far too comfortably.

"Drinks are on the house," he announced, wiggling his eyebrows slyly. "The Great Jecht and his friends get all kinds of extras."

Tidus rolled his eyes, quite obviously, and caused his father's mood to drop dramatically, the older man growling as he narrowed his red eyes at his son. Tidus didn't seem the least bit affected by it however, instead going on to look over the menu and explain to Yuna, who was sitting beside him, the intricacies of each option (since most of it was foreign to the newcomers).

Jecht slammed his fist down on the table, "Hey!" Everyone snapped their eyes to him in alarm. "You got something to say to me boy?"

Tidus cocked a skeptical brow and replied with a simple, "No." He then tried to go back to more civilized pursuits, but his father was, apparently, intent on making a scene.

"If you got something to say, then say it," he persisted, the rest of the group silenced as Tidus flicked his gaze back up to his father, the air between them sizzling quite suddenly. "Quit poutin' and say it already!"

"If I had something to say to you, I'd have said it," Tidus assured rather shortly. "I'm not pouting Old Man, I just have no interest in speaking to you." He, again, tried to return to the menu, but Jecht wasn't going to have any of it. He and Tidus had always had communication issues, even when his son had been a kid, and it was quickly becoming apparent that not much had changed.

"And why not?"

Tidus' patience snapped. "Because I find you infuriating," he established. "Now can we please drop the subject?" He was trying to be the bigger person, which was difficult when considering how much he wanted to punch his father right in the face, but he liked to think he'd matured some, and come to understand his father a little better as well. That didn't mean he had to like the man however.

"No," Jecht decided and Tidus sighed. They were starting to draw in the stares of other customers. "You think you can just disappear for a year, not tell anyone where you been, and then come back like nothin's wrong?" That wasn't quite the same subject, but, really, Tidus had no choice but to roll with it. "You been busy, my ass."

"I don't know what you want me to say Dad," Tidus shrugged. "Just like the rest of you, I've been investigating what's happened to the city. So yes, it's kept me busy."

"That's bullshit," Jecht crossed his arms harshly over his chest. "The fayth have us posted up defendin' the city, but what do they have you doin'? And don't think I won't know if you're lying." He squinted his eyes, surveying Tidus with the least amount of trust he could muster.

The rest of the group looked between them uncomfortably, Tidus catching their gazes and only growing more irritated as a result.

"Okay, again," he wanted to try and put an end to this, "it's already been well established that what happens in my life is no concern of yours." Jecht's expression darkened, but Tidus continued. "I'm not going to argue with you about it in public, so do us both a favor and shut up about it." He hissed the last, not wanting any of the Zanarkand citizens to overhear such a conversation. Plus, there was also the fact that he was a celebrity to consider, one that had been missing for almost two years. Unlike his father, he hadn't made his presence known to the city.

"You need to lose the attitude boy," Jecht pointed at him directly.

Tidus rubbed his temples in frustration. "Nothing ever gets through, I swear," he muttered, Yuna frowning over at him, but remaining silent on the subject.

"It would be nice, Tidus, if you could tell us what you've been doing," Auron interjected, perhaps attempting to calm the discussion while still getting Jecht's main point across. Or at least the point the rest of them cared about.

It was the wrong thing to say however, because Tidus was at the end of his rope with their nosiness.

"Why do you all need to know what I've been doing?" he asked rather loudly, taking them all aback. Mostly because no one quite understood why he kept avoiding the subject. "Does no one understand the concept of privacy?"

"You've been missing a _year_!" Jecht reiterated. "I think that accounts for a little more than privacy!"

"I'm not having this discussion," Tidus stated firmly as he stood, surprising everyone further. Mostly because the question being asked of him, when considering the circumstances, wasn't that intrusive or offensive. Yet he was taking it quite personally. "Just stop. For once in your life," he was looking directly at his father, "just _stop_."

And as if that should be the logical end to the conversation, he turned and started to walk away, leaving his friends behind with gaping mouths and confused brows. Even Yuna was left in a state of bafflement as he left the restaurant, her stare following him the whole way. A few seconds passed after he vacated the building, everyone silent, and it wasn't until Yuna realized that something was wrong that she slipped from her own seat. Trailing him out of the restaurant, she walked out into the Zanarkand street and glanced around quickly in search of him.

It didn't take her long to locate him.

"Tidus," she said his name in alarm, her eyes widening as she made her way over to him. He was sitting down on a bench a little ways from the restaurant, his whole body crumpled over and his eyes squeezed tight. As if he were in… pain. "Are… are you alright?" she asked as she approached him, her anxiety worsening when he didn't answer.

"Tidus," she repeated his name as she crouched down next to him. It became blatantly obvious then that there was something really wrong with him. He'd gone pale and sweat had accumulated all across his skin. His breathing had become shallow, his fists were pulled tight. Even his back trembled slightly.

"I'm going to go get the others," was the first thing that came to her mouth. Because, certainly, that was the proper, logical thing to do.

"No!" he objected immediately, desperately, proving that he could, in fact, make out what she was saying. "I'll be fine, I just…" He couldn't finish his explanation, his breathing becoming even more labored as he reached up with his right hand arm grabbed at his left. And Yuna, who didn't know what else to do, stayed at his side and waited through the long seconds for him to say something, ask for help, anything.

Reaching out, she placed her hand on his knee, which seemed to bring him back to her.

"It's just that…" he breathed choppily, "… the pain medication is… wearing off. I've been… ignoring it, but I…" He pulled his eyes tighter as if to ward off the agony. "I thought it'd last longer than this."

Ignoring it? And she hadn't even noticed?

"Tidus, if you're hurt, let me help you," she replied, her hand tightening on his knee. He shook his head however, quite vigilantly, which left her feeling even more helpless and frantic.

"I just… need to go home…" he determined. Yuna, however, had no idea how to go about getting him there. Not that she needed to consider the idea for very long though. Soon, despite how he was apparently crippled, Tidus shoved himself unsteadily to his feet and stumbled his way towards the street where cars zipped by above their heads. And Yuna, who was afraid he'd fall at any moment, did her best to help support him, grabbing him around the middle in the hopes of steadying him.

"Raise your hand," he told her after trying to do so himself and failing, unable to take his hand from his left shoulder without instant amounts of grief. Immediately putting one of her hands above her head, she waited for what she knew not, but refrained from feeling surprised when one of the cars dropped out of the sky beside them.

Tidus stumbled forward once more, Yuna deducing that they were supposed to get into this strange car and, pulling the door open, did her best to help him into the back seat before following him in herself. The driver, who glanced back at them curiously, looked about to ask, but then decided against it, which gave Tidus an opening. Rambling off a strange set of numbers and words that Yuna supposed were an address, he sat back in the seat and the driver nodded before shoving the car back into the air.

Yuna returned her entire focus to Tidus.

"Please tell me what's wrong," she insisted, her voice low in an effort to keep the driver out of his business.

"I just need to get home," he said again. "If I can get the… pain medication, I'll be… fine."

"If you're in pain Tidus, tell me and I'll heal you," she replied a little sharply.

Again, he shook his head.

And Yuna, beginning to panic, had half a mind to heal him anyway, in any place she could, but feared that such actions might alarm their driver. Instead, she was stuck waiting as Tidus, eyes closed again, tried to control his breathing and whatever agony he was apparently going through. Thankfully, wherever they were headed wasn't that far. Soon enough, the car had pulled off to the side, out of main traffic, and down a long stretch of the highway that circled the outer rims of the city. Continuing on for a few minutes, the vehicle only came to a stop once they reached what looked like a good sized boat sitting on the edge of the ocean that ended, oddly enough, just outside the shell.

Tidus' boathouse.

The driver asked them if they needed help, but Tidus stubbornly refused and instead stumbled on out of the car towards the house after pulling a good amount of gil from his pocket and handing it to the driver. Yuna helped him as best she could, but soon enough he was walking without assistance, as if the attack that had so suddenly overtaken him was wearing away. Though he was still pale and sweating, and holding his left shoulder, he was able to make the long walk down the path that led up to the front of the boathouse. Reaching the door, he practically fell inside, Yuna following behind in a wide-eyed sort of confusion.

The house wasn't very big. Shaped like a circle, it was dusty and neglected, as if it hadn't been lived in for quite some time. But Tidus, not at all deterred, stumbled his way across the room to the kitchen. Once there, he set his focus on the counter where, much to Yuna's furthering concern, were half a dozen or more pill bottles.

Picking one up, Tidus tried to open it, but for some reason was only able to use his right hand, which wasn't enough. And Yuna, coming up next to him, took note that the entirety of his left arm was completely lax, unmoving, and useless. It appeared to be simply dangling from his shoulder.

"Open this," he demanded as he shoved one of the larger bottles her way. Ignoring his odd attitude and supposing his rudeness could be forgiven, she went about trying to open the bottle, but was completely cofounded when, in her rushed, frantic panic, it wouldn't open.

"Push down on the top," he explained breathily, "then turn it to… open it." Trying to do as he said, she took a few attempts and was surprised when the cap popped lose. Ignoring how her hands shook in her haste, she allowed a few of the large pills in the bottle to be shaken out onto her palm before offering them to him. He took them without qualm, clapping them between his lips and swallowing without even the want of water.

He sagged then, in no way rid of his pain, and closed his eyes.

"You need to sit down," Yuna decided despite her lack of knowledge of his condition. He didn't object and, allowing himself to be escorted from the kitchen and into the main room, he soon dropped himself down on his couch, Yuna placing herself right beside him.

He tried to ignore the throbbing agony thrumming through his whole body.

Yuna, however, found the situation harder and harder to pass over. Obviously, he was hiding what was wrong with him from her, despite how apparent it was that he was in terrible pain. And were she in less of a frantic state, she might have stripped him down herself until she found the issue. As it were however, she could only locate the same words she'd had earlier.

"Tidus, please, what's wrong with you?" It came out as a plead, her own fears over his condition becoming evident to both him and herself. Despite this however, despite how she practically begged him, he still shook his head. As if he were actually going to try and get away with not explaining himself.

"Tidus!" her voice came out as a demanding kind of shout. "You tell me what's wrong with you right now so I can heal you!"

Taken aback, his eyes popped back open and he flicked his blue gaze her way. Expression stern, she stared back with that simple determination he knew there was no point fighting. She'd seen too much as it was anyway, he supposed. He would have had to tell her one way or another. Eventually.

"Help me get this jacket off," he finally breathed and, thankful to be useful, Yuna went about unbuckling it from his chest. Without him having to lift his arms, it fell away upon being completely detached, leaving only his V-neck sweater. "I can't lift my arms," he continued. "So just… rip it." He was talking about the sweater and Yuna, hasty to do as instructed, grabbed the garment at the collar and pulled. At first, she thought maybe it wasn't going to tear, but she put all her strength into yanking it apart and was soon rewarded with the shredding sound of fabric.

She didn't stop until it was totally open, yet even as she did come to a halt, she found the path leading to whatever issue Tidus was having. Beginning to pull up on the left side of the sweater, she saw that there was a recent, deep, festering gash drawing up from his abdomen around his chest. As if something had clawed up across his skin. The wound itself looked as though it had been moderately treated, but only to the point of sealing it. Infection made it red and enflamed, elevated and oozing with pus in some areas.

By all rights, such an injury could kill someone. Obviously, it'd been treated somewhat, but still such an infection could be toxic.

Gulping, she continued to pull away at the left side of the sweater, careful now not to touch the wound. But as she continued to slowly lift it from the injury, she was not rewarded with any better results. The higher she got, the worse it became. Upon reaching his shoulder, the whole thing was a scarred, red, openly raw mess. It was a wonder he'd been able to move his arm at all. Some of the gashes were so deep that nerves would have been destroyed, motor functions gone. And as she rolled the sweater away from his shoulder, she found herself wondering how he'd managed to hide something so horrific in the first place. It should have, by all rights, made it impossible for him to use his left arm.

Yet as the fabric fell away, the answer was abruptly clear to her.

He'd been able to use his arm not because it was capable, but because it was gone. Attached to his shoulder was kind of machina arm, sealed against the festering wound and making up for the fact that his limb had been completely ripped away.

She gaped, trying to comprehend the severity, and pushed herself to continue pulling the sweater down his arm. Yes, this was Tidus, who she'd never wanted to see this way, but there wasn't time to consider that now. She had to get rid of the infection and calm the swelling – that was priority number one. As had been the case with so many of her other patients, she could heal the surface, but she couldn't replace what was gone. She'd have to do what she could.

Tugging the sweater off entirely once it'd been cleared of his left, Tidus shoved it out of the way and glance down at Yuna. She was serious but pale as she surveyed the damage, which, oddly enough, made him feel guilty. He hadn't wanted her to see him this way, no matter how inevitable such a thing might have been upon her arriving in the city.

"Um…" she had her hands up, as it contemplating healing him, "can this… arm be removed?" The machina arm he'd bought off the underbelly of Zanarkand's trade. It was top quality, but illegal without a doctor's notice. Yet he hadn't wanted to go into the hospital. Someone would have recognized him, the media would have known, and eventually his secret would have been blown. Which was why he'd bought the medications for pain and infection at the same time.

"Yeah," he nodded and, reaching over with his good hand, he clasped the machina piece around the shoulder and squeezed. Yuna saw that he seemed to have found some kind of button panel on the back side and was inputting a code. As if replacing limbs should really be that easy. Yet she had to admit, despite it's biotic appearance, the arm was convincing. It'd moved just like a real arm, was a size to match the one he still had. It was graceful in its execution. White in color, it was layered both equally in metal pieces as softer pieces, as if to pretend at muscle tissue. But still, it was fake, and would no doubt fall short of the real thing.

Succeeding in removing it somehow, Yuna watched as the thing clicked and, Tidus flinching, retracted whatever it was that held it in place. The sound of tearing flesh was apparent, as if the machina were ripping through him, and Yuna became immediately aware of how much pain taking it away was causing because, even as she watched, a single tear left his eye and streaked down his cheek.

Finally however, it was off and, as if she were watching some kind of disturbing, surreal scene, he pulled the arm to his right and placed it on the couch beside him. So now, nothing left covered, the wound was left completely open to the world, Yuna drawing her eyes towards it with tight-lipped severity.

It was so strange, seeing him so completely broken. The wound where the arm had been bled now, a result of removing the machina, and only seemed to make the whole look of it worse, if at all possible. Gulping and shaking her head of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her, she raised her hands and, taking a deep breath to find her concentration, dug deep into herself for the right kind of magic to result in the best kind of aid.

Carefully, she began to separate the infection from the flesh that was still good, started to seal the gashes that, though weren't bleeding, were still open to the harshness of the air. As she had so many, many times before, she healed the injury, taking just as little pleasure in it as she always had.

It was a delicate process as wounds that were older than just new were always harder to heal. Scar tissue and poorly woven skin always made it more difficult than a fresh wound, which was as easy as tying the flesh back together. Generally, because the pain was still there, she tried to talk these patients through the process, distract them, but the only thing that kept popping into her head at that moment was asking how this had happened.

And, because deep down she knew how this had happened, she was hesitant to pursue the subject.

So through silence, the wound was patched up. He'd never have his arm again – not even the most experienced white mage could replace what wasn't there – but soon the skin was only lightly scarred and the redness gone. It appeared like a wound that had been acquired years before, though the flesh around it was soft and almost new. And Tidus, who'd been living with the pain of it for days, breathed a sigh of relief he'd been holding back since he'd received the ailment.

"You're so amazing," was all he managed to say.

"You should have had this taken care of as soon as… as you could." She almost said as soon as it'd happened, but she was realistic enough to know that was impossible. Or, perhaps, he should have let her heal him when she'd originally gone out of her way to do so. "This infection could have killed you."

"Zanarkand doesn't have white mages," he replied, his breath still recovering. "At least, not ones that are powerful enough for this. That's why I have all those medications over there. For fighting pain and infection." Because even the potions and remedies in Spira were influenced by magic, which was simply a medium Zanarkand hadn't explored.

Yuna shook her head, as if that wouldn't have been enough, and Tidus cracked a sardonic smile.

"Zanarkand isn't considered advanced for no reason Yuna," he explained simply, no sound of criticism in his voice. "We may not have magic, but we know how to take care of our people. The medications would have worked eventually." Sitting back in the couch, he closed his eyes and relished in only having the echo of pain ricocheting through his body.

And Yuna, lips pursed, found her eyes drawn to the lack of symmetry now accosting him. She'd never imagined she'd see him so gravely injured and without plausible recovery. He'd always be like this now, which only made her angrier. At him. Because he'd thrown himself into a position where such injuries were possible without any help or backup. It was careless, and selfish, and she had half a mind to give him a piece of her thoughts on the subject.

Yet still she found herself hesitant to bring up the notion directly. Instead, as if trying to walk herself around to it, she tried to find something relatable.

"I don't understand how you got here," she eventually started, leaving the idea open-ended for him to interpret.

"I don't really either," he admitted, his voice recovering and almost sounding normal. Blinking, he stared up at the ceiling. "I hadn't even realized it was possible to… turn back into a human." His gaze flicked to hers then, their eyes meeting. "I think it had something to do with seeing you."

She smiled shortly, trying to take the discussion in a lighter tone. "You certainly didn't seem happy to see me at the time."

He grinned fully then. "Yeah, sorry about that." His only hand came up to rub the bridge of his nose. "Being like that makes a person crazy after a while." He tried to address the topic as shallowly as possible, but Yuna knew he was underplaying what had happened.

"I've heard that… being that way… makes a person insane…" and the gravity of her tone wasn't missed on him.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's one way to look at it." He paused. "I think that… that until I saw you there, I had forgotten I was even human." A thought he found very difficult to digest even then. "Thinking of you," his tone got quieter, "was the only thing that kept me grounded for… a long time. But eventually it was like… like the idea of protecting Zanarkand was the only thing I could think of." Leaning forward, he was thoughtful. "No, it wasn't even thinking. I lost the ability to think. It was like… instinct."

"Like Sin," Yuna murmured, Tidus glancing back at her again. "How it only knew how to defend Zanarkand and didn't consider what it was doing in order to accomplish that."

Tidus was loath to admit it, but supposed the truth couldn't be bypassed. "Something like that…" he admitted quietly.

"But when you saw me, that… changed?" she questioned, her head cocking to the side curiously.

"I… I think so," he determined. "It was like seeing you there, staring at me… Like I found my humanity again." He couldn't describe it, the way he'd fought inside himself upon seeing her. And somehow, it'd resulted in him returning to his original form. Something the fayth had said would likely be impossible.

"You shouldn't change back," Yuna shook her head, Tidus watching her. "You'll get lost again…"

He smiled shortly. "I'm a fayth now Yuna," his words were whispered. "It's my responsibility to do what I can." Which she knew he'd been going to say. Because, as Lulu had said, they were so much alike. If she had the ability he did, she'd take advantage of it too, even if it meant the destruction of herself.

Looking away, she took a shaking breath and stared down at the carpet.

"Zanarkand can't just be left to the fiends and the dead," he continued, as if he felt the need to defend his point. "Maybe it is just a dream, but the people here, they feel and see and understand just like anyone on Spira. If how a person dies, or how they're made, determines what they're worth, then I… I guess I disagree? Because maybe the people in this city are just memories, but they still have a sense of their own existence, which is really no different than a human." Yuna didn't need him to defend his view, she agreed with him, but the fact that he was doing so cast his feelings in a different light. Suddenly, she realized that he didn't agree with what the fayth were doing. Ending the dream as if it'd never been. Perhaps, because he knew the truth, that was why he took issue with it. He too was a dream, but was expected to fade as if he didn't even matter? Or exist?

It wasn't fair.

But what choice did he have? The fayth were in charge, and they were tired. Rightfully so.

Dragged along by the tide with no option but to drown.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" he asked, having made the assumption previously. "To help find a way to… end this?"

Yuna shrugged. "I don't really know," she shook he head. "The fayth had been calling to me, I guess, but I can't hear them anymore." Not unless she went looking for them. "We ended up here by accident because the Farplane was growing out of control."

"Because we're here," Tidus verified and Yuna nodded.

"I don't quite know what the fayth expect from me however."

"They want a way to end the dream," he stated the obvious. "But it's become impossible. When they dreamed, they summoned something too… big to be separated, at least in the condition of the Farplane as it is. The city isn't whole because they dream it to be, but because the concentration of pyreflies is so dense that things are able to take form without someone beckoning them to do so. It's why fiends are now able to come together in a place where it'd previously been impossible. There's just… too much…"

"How are we supposed to lessen the number of pyreflies?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, half smiling over at her. "That, honestly, hasn't been my main objective." She waited patiently for him to continue. "I don't disagree with the fayth that… that maybe the dream needs to fade," despite how he wanted to object, "but right now the main threat is the fiends. If something isn't done about them, they'll eventually overrun the city. And I know that everyone in Zanarkand has to fade away eventually, but that… that doesn't mean the city should be ravaged. The people here can still feel fear, and pain. Maybe it's a pointless fight, a temporary one," he smiled fully at her then at his reference, "but if the people here can live their lives as obliviously as possible, at least until then end, then they should be able to do so."

"But if the fiends are a result of the dream, then so long as Zanarkand is here, so too will they be," Yuna replied. "You can't… fight them off alone. Eventually they'll… they'll get you." He'd almost lost the last time.

"I know," he nodded. "But there's something wrong with the fiends here. They… they regroup and attack together, like they… like they can think." He furrowed his eyebrows. "They shouldn't be this organized, you know?" An observation, Yuna remembered, they'd all made upon watching them attack the shell. "Or like when they… when they ambushed me." He shook his head. "Something, or someone, is giving them orders or… controlling them."

"Is that possible?" Yuna asked breathily.

"It's the only thing I can figure," he nodded. "And we've seen it happen before. The Guado knew how to control fiends. What I don't understand though is why this… thing is waging war on Zanarkand. How could that possibly serve them?"

"So you've been trying to find this thing? That's what you've been doing?"

"As well as I can," he nodded. "But I… I don't dare go too far from Zanarkand, not with the attacks." He shook his head. "Or, at least, that was my original plan." To search. "But as the months went on, I think I lost track of what I was really trying to do." Became victim to the insanity.

"Whatever it is that's out there then is trying to kill you," Yuna observed brokenly.

"I'm in their way," he agreed with a simple shrug.

"Well… did you find anything?"

"Not particularly," he sat back against the couch again. "I never reached the edges of the Farplane," because there had to be limits if the pyrefly density was affecting it. "I can never get too far before I get paranoid and have to come back and check on the city." Which he, more often than not, found in a state of attack. As if the fiends waited for him to leave. Which, he supposed, was plausible.

And Yuna, who felt just as helpless to do anything as she had before the conversation, perhaps more so, pursed her lips and hugged her arms around her. No matter how she looked at the situation, it seemed a hopeless endeavor. One that always ended with Tidus' destruction. It was, at that point, just a matter of how it happened.

"Yuna…" Tidus watched her – watched as her expression went from hopelessness to grief and back again more times than he could count.

"Why is it that the only time we're together, the world seems to be in peril?" And one of them was sentenced to death in one way or another. "It's not fair…" She knew she sounded immature, but she saw few other ways to look at it. Tidus had been dropped into Spira to influence she and her friends, to grow close to them so that when the time came, they'd listen to him. And now here she was again, asked to help with a cause that couldn't end well no matter the outcome, tied to him once more. As if the only times they were allowed to be together was when they were able to be useful while working in tandem.

Maybe that was the whole point…

"Sometimes I wonder," she started quietly, "if they didn't dream you up to be the perfect person for me on purpose." Because it sometimes seemed impossible that she could find someone else capable of taking his place. Or perhaps that was simply the heartbreak talking. She couldn't be sure.

"I've wondered that too," he verified, his own existence seeming so much more superficial when he considered that perhaps the only reason he was there at all was because the fayth had hatched a carefully laid plan that would result in his becoming so attached to Yuna that he'd do just about anything to keep her safe. It seemed plausible when he looked back at the pilgrimage and the desperation he'd felt in keeping her from the Final Summoning. As if he'd acted out a play they'd written the script for.

Or maybe, of all the dreams in Zanarkand, he'd simply fit the bill the closest. In either case, he'd still been manipulated. Whether that was good or bad he had yet to determine.

Abruptly, the back of Yuna's hand was at her lips, her whole body shaking as she took a deep breath. And Tidus, who leaned closer to her in concern, found himself just as empty as she was.

"This is all so hopeless…"

"I know…"

Because they both knew the value of hope and the sorrow that resulted from not having it. A lesson they'd learned from Yunalesca, oddly enough. Upon thinking about her however, Tidus found a small flame of the persistence he'd once felt while on the pilgrimage. Scooting closer to Yuna, he allowed his hand to reach over and rest on her leg, drawing her eyes his way.

"We just… have to find new hope, right?" he determined and asked all at the same time. Searching her gaze, he tried to find some kind of verification that he was right, that she could see the same thing. And despite the despair inherent in her gaze, he could see the same small, insignificant flare in her gaze as well. As if, perhaps, fed by each other, they might be able to find some kind of solution.

Reaching up, Yuna allowed her hands to rest on his bare chest, her head falling forward until it rested lightly against his collarbone. Listening, she measured the way he breathed, how his chest moved steadily up and down. Partly for her own comfort and partly to monitor his health. And as his one arm reached up around her, she felt once again the gravity and danger he was in. How easily his life could be snuffed out.

Would the fayth bring him back again? As they had the others? She wasn't sure how that worked…

She could feel his lips in her hair, the way he kissed the top of her head and allowed his body to rest just as equally against her as she was him. Breathing deeply, she took in the smell of sweat and sharpness that always seemed to envelop him. Though now it was somewhat dampened by the previous stench of blood and infection.

She blinked her eyes open, staring at the tanned skin before her.

"You should get some rest," she eventually determined. "White magic performs better if you sleep." Because, though she had healed him as best she could, what remained of the magic still lingered in his skin. If he rested, then it would do better in spreading and advancing what healing there might still be left to do.

Besides, she knew he must be exhausted.

"You need to get back to Auron's," he half-objected, almost as though he were stating a fact rather than encouraging her to go.

"They know I'm with you," she replied quietly, as if that should settle the matter. "Besides, I don't trust you to rest as you should." And though she couldn't see it, he smiled into her hair, thankful she was apparently set on not going. "Now c'mon," she pulled back from him then, "I'm serious when I say you need to get some sleep."

"Yes ma'am," he replied teasingly and she cast him an unimpressed brow. Standing before him, she almost held out both her hands to help him up, but quickly caught herself. Holding out just one instead, she was satisfied when he didn't ignore the gesture. Taking her assistance gladly, she half pulled him up while he pushed himself. "Where are we going?" he asked rather jokingly.

"I assume you have a bedroom," she replied easily.

"Oh I see where this is going," he stated and, much to Yuna's befuddlement, he winked at her before walking across the room. Watching him as he pushed his way in through the door there, she reached up and placed her finger against her lips. It was then that she realized that, for the first time since they'd met, she and Tidus were really… alone. And though his comment, she now understood, had been jokingly suggestive, it didn't change the fact that what he proposed was actually… plausible.

Yuna tried to push back on the redness that flushed her face, but was far from successful. Instead, shaking her head of the idea, she forced her feet across the room until she too was at the door. Peaking her way in, she saw that Tidus was standing at the dresser, into a mirror sitting above it. He was rubbing the bridge of his nose again and looking quite exhausted.

Not quite sure whether she should address his weariness or not, she distracted herself with looking around the rest of the room. It was shrouded in semi-darkness, the sun setting outside. Like the previous room, it wasn't that terribly big and was covered in a good layer of dust. The furniture, though high-tech and sleek by Zanarkand standards, was stark, the most notable piece being the bed in the center of the room. That, compared to the rest of the furnishings, was large and, oddly enough, round. It also looked to be the most expensive piece in the room, layered with multiple pillows and plain, silk coverings.

Making her way over, Yuna went about sitting on the edge of the mattress, if only to make herself comfortable. And as she glanced up at Tidus, she saw that he was staring at her out of the corner of his eyes. Upon their gazes meeting however, his attention flicked back to the mirror.

"Now that I'm not in such excruciating pain all the time," a fact he'd hid very well, "I realize just how… strange this all looks." He frowned, Yuna doing the same as she watched him. Not for the same reason however, but more so out of pity. "I guess I should be thankful it wasn't one of my legs, or even my right arm," he continued, his voice rather dead. "At least I can still blitz… I guess…" If he ever got the chance to do such a thing ever again. As of that moment, the idea was hardly very realistic. "It doesn't matter," he huffed, taking a step back. "Priorities change."

And Yuna, who wanted more than anything to offer him words of comfort, was able to find nothing to say. Instead, as he turned to her, all she could do was stare and hope her sympathy reached him.

Tidus being Tidus, however, tried to make light of the situation.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked with half a grin, addressing her staring, and Yuna could make out the insecurity in his gaze. The way his blue eyes seemed to search her face for an honest answer. "I know it's a bit of a change," he rolled the shoulder that no longer had an arm attached to it, "but is it really that much of a turnoff?"

Yuna smiled sweetly at him, attempting to alleviate his concern. "No," she assured. "It doesn't make any difference to me."

"I probably look better with the bionic one on," he sighed. "It's just such a pain in the ass to take off." He glanced at the door, as if considering whether or not he should go get it, and Yuna laughed lightly to herself.

"Tidus," she drew his attention back to her. "It wouldn't matter to me if you were missing both arms _and_ legs," she was still smiling. "I'd still love you."

"Even if you had to push me around in a wheelchair for the rest of my life?" He looked at though he were going to place his hands behind his head, but upon the phantom of his left arm being realized, quick irritation dashed across his face before he decided his right fist would be better served on his hip.

"Even so," she assured.

"You must be willing to put up with a lot," he determined as he walked over and sat down on the bed beside her.

"I thought that was already obvious," she replied sardonically, Tidus pretending to be hurt over her words.

"I know, I know," he sighed dramatically. "I'm just so high maintenance."

"Very," she agreed as she reached up and laid her hand across his chest. Watching as her fingers brushed his skin, she sighed. "You should get some rest." Her words were quiet, repetitive even, though she couldn't exactly place why.

"Maybe I'm not tired," he murmured above her, his breath wavering against her forehead. And Yuna, who wasn't quite sure what to make of the breathy way he replied, decided that maybe it was best to stay quiet. For a few moments, all that was between them was stillness. A precipice, perhaps, that Yuna was somewhat hesitant to look down into. Tidus, however, ever the more forward one, eventually found the courage to leap and, leaning down, his lips found her neck, Yuna's breath catching in response.

Tenderly, he trailed his caresses down to her shoulder, his hand finding her waist. And Yuna, having never experienced such intimacy before, did her best to stay relaxed. Which, naturally, only resulted in her posture becoming stiffer. If Tidus noticed however, he was ignoring it, which Yuna supposed she was thankful for. Not wanting to be a stiff board however, she tried to lean in closer to him, her hand finding its way up to his shoulder.

He started laughing then.

And Yuna felt her cheeks deepen into scarlet once again.

"If this isn't okay, you can tell me," he said, Yuna able to hear the smile on his face despite how she refused to look at him. Even more disappointed in herself for giving that impression, she practically retreated away from him, shrinking back. "Hey, Yuna," he didn't release her however. "I'm sorry."

"That's not it," she replied quietly, still refusing to meet his gaze. "I just… I've never…"

She could tell by the way his hand tightened on her waist that he understood her meaning.

"I… know that," he replied, which Yuna supposed was reasonable. Her experience level was probably obvious to just about anyone who knew her. "If you're uncomfortable, then we don't have to do anything." Whatever it was they'd been aiming to do.

"No, I…" Taking a deep breath, she finally got up the courage to turn her gaze to his. "I… want to. I just…" She glanced away again, just as quickly.

"It's okay Yuna," he assured, ever a beam of sunlight as he smiled. "We'll go at your pace."

"I want to," she said it more firmly then, if only to convince him. Because even as she said it, a voice in the back of her head whispered that she may never get such an opportunity again. As Lulu said, she had to make all the memories she could and this… this would be an important one. "Please…"

Tidus, who was staring down at her through a serious expression now, seemed to be considering her words. So, if only to make him understand how set she really was, she leaned up and took his lips in her own once again, her heart skipping at her own nerve. He responded of course and, holding his face in her hands, she pulled herself as close to him as she could get.

Fingers travelling across her back, Tidus held her up as he slowly turned them to the safe embrace of the bed. Falling together, Yuna found herself enveloped in the sheets as well as his form as she wrapped her arms around his neck, securing his closeness to her.

Outside, the city of Zanarkand had fallen to evening, lightning striking out through the clouds as if it meant to ricochet between the tallest buildings. And as the momentary light flickered in through the window, Yuna caught those blue eyes staring down at her. The same blue eyes she'd seen a few days prior and that had haunted her thoughts ever since.

Blue eyes that had met hers so many times before, had encouraged her and inspired her to go on even in the bleakest of circumstances.

Ocean blue.

Abruptly, she wondered why she'd been so nervous in the first place.

She had no reason to be; this was Tidus – her guardian, her friend, and the man she loved. And as these thoughts filtered through her head, the warmth between them only seemed to intensify, becoming heat that spurred both into the carnal instincts echoing up and down each nerve and each touch that came between them.

Outside, thunder rumbled, rain pelting down on the city.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you everyone for your support. I realize this fic doesn't get very many reviews or hits, but your kind words help me on ^-^ And your critical words too! lol!**

Annnnndddd… no lemons, lol. I want to keep this story rated T in the spirit of keeping it cohesive with the game. Besides that, it just didn't seem fitting to go into more detail. Let Tidus and Yuna have their privacy, lol.

So Tidus' identity has been revealed. Not that it wasn't obvious to begin with. I wonder what it will mean for the future for him. Could be very interesting.

Also, just so everyone knows, I do in fact hate Final Fantasy X-2. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy playing it. The mechanics were actually really fun and it's definitely the most replayable game in the series, but the character development and lack of good, awesome story has left me in a state of eternal loathing. I feel many of the characters were butchered in their development and that the way in which Tidus and Yuna were reunited was insulting to the original. There wasn't even a clear explanation of how it was possible.

In any case, on to other matters –

**If this were a video game **– BATTLE SYSTEM: One of the biggest issues I have with the newer Final Fantasy's are the battle systems. It's not that they're bad, but I feel that they're unnecessarily complicated and cluttered. I'm hoping they'll do a better job with Final Fantasy 15 since the Kingdom Hearts team is working on that one, but we'll just have to wait and see. In any case, were I to develop a battle system for a Final Fantasy X game, it would be somewhat of a mix between Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII, with a bit of Final Fantasy XIII. It would retain the cohesiveness of the latter games, meaning there wouldn't be any introduction to the battle or victory poses – it'd go in and out smoothly with the rest of the game. However, one of the things that always bothered me about these systems was the fact that you could see the monsters spotted across the whole screen. It was cluttered and, honestly, disheartening. This is where the idea of random battles would be kept. In the sense that, since fiends in Spira form from pyreflies, that is how they would attack. The screen would be free of monsters, but at random times these fiends would form to initiate a battle that moves smoothly from the tacit screen to the battle screen. In this way, the scenery is open and not dotted with monsters that, honestly, makes me not want to play through them. Fleeing would still be possible, but it'd be a command, much like it used to be. That isn't to say you couldn't just run away like Final Fantasy XII either. In this fashion, it retains some of the nostalgia of random battles while maintaining the smoothness and cohesive movements desired of new games.

As far as how the characters would be arranged, they'd all still be necessary for battle as they were in the original game, each of them having their own strengths and weaknesses. However, much like Final Fantasy XII, the player gets to pick who they run around on the screen as and when a battle is initiated, the other two characters previously in the party will run on screen. Or perhaps they walk around with you, which would be fine too. Switching characters in battle would be done as it was in FFX, not FFXII where you had to go to menu to do it in the middle of the fight (illogical). And the commands (attack and such) would be something of a cross between XII and the original battle systems, being able to switch between characters whose turns come up on command. Offensive attacks would need only one command to become repetitive, but that only lasts as long as the monster one is fighting is alive. After that, new commands must be given. Healing and defensive magic would have to be manually controlled. In this way, the player remains in control of the characters. And there would certainly be nothing like the Gambit system where one can program the characters to fight for you. Not only was it boring, but it took much of the tension and anxieties out of battles.

As far as being similar to Final Fantasy X-2, it'd retain the kind of ATB battle system it possesses as well as the job system, which will be what I talk about next chapter!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please **leave a review! You all keep me inspired!**


	6. Found and Lost

**Beyond Reality**

_Chapter 6: Found and Lost_

Outside, lightning struck and, shrieking into her pillow, Rikku pulled the covers as far as she could over her head and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. Yet every time she managed to convince herself that maybe it was over, that maybe the storm had passed, she was assaulted by another deafening crack that sent her shivering into fear.

Yes, she'd marched through the Thunder Plains. Yes, she'd faced her fear. But that didn't mean it didn't still exist, or that she was any more comfortable around lightning. And, if only to make the situation worse, the house was so high that they were practically sitting in the middle of the storm clouds. Rikku was convinced that, because of this, she was that much more likely to be electrocuted. Despite the safety of being inside.

Another bright flash streaked on past the window, followed by a loud clap, and Rikku tried to keep her eyes shut tight against it. Yet no matter what she tried, her memories echoed of the time her brother had accidentally struck her. She'd been so small, and so defenseless, it'd nearly killed her. Certainly a strike evoked by a storm would be enough to do the trick.

It flashed again.

Sitting up in bed, she breathed heavily, her eyes wide as she searched the room. For what, she didn't know. She was alone after all. Previously, she'd shared a room with Yuna, Wakka and Lulu staying in the one across the hall, but her cousin had gone with Tidus when he'd left the restaurant and hadn't returned. Which left Rikku completely and utterly alone.

She wanted to get away from it, but she wasn't sure what to do.

Another crack seemed to flash just outside the window and Rikku bolted to her feet. Dressed in only the shirt of Auron's she'd been wearing regularly to bed, she quickly shuffled her way to the door before slipping out into the hall. Her eyes darted to the door that would lead her to Wakka and Lulu, but the thought of waking them deterred her. Instead, her gaze fell to the room further down the hall.

If anything, she should fear waking Auron up more, but the idea of sucking courage off of Lulu and Wakka, who were probably sound asleep in each others' arms, didn't bode well with her. Certainly Auron would understand, right?

He couldn't be mean _all_ the time…

Jumping and muffling a squeak as another bolt crossed through the skies, she practically ran down the hall until she reached Auron's room. Grabbing at the door, she didn't waste any time in turning the knob, slipping inside, and clicking it closed behind her.

Breathing rapid, she gulped and listened, afraid that at any moment lightning would somehow strike them all from the skies.

Auron, she could see his bed sitting in the corner of the room beside the window, was sleeping, the sounds of his soft snoring trickling into her ears. Part of her, the braver part, wanted to go back the same way she'd come. After all, Auron lived there and he obviously wasn't worried. But as thunder rumbled, she was also assaulted by the abrupt need to curl up into a ball in the corner and cry.

She just couldn't take it.

Only considering her wellbeing in response to her actions for a split-second, she toed her way across the room until she was standing beside Auron's bed. Crouching down, as if that would somehow shield her from the storm, she stared at his half-open mouth and peacefully unaware expression (though it was haunted by severe, furrowed brows). Considering for a moment the best way to make her plight known, she was soon saved the stress because, as another flash streaked by the window, an involuntary shriek left her lips as she tucked her head against her knees and closed her eyes.

Auron was, needless to say, quite awake.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" he asked as soon as he realized what the high-pitched zing that had awoken him had been. "Rikku!" He said harshly, apparently not one for being affected by sleep. "What are you doing?" He sounded angry she realized, even more grouchy than average, every-day Auron.

Another crack of lighting crashed the house and Rikku, who covered her head with her hands, thought she might actually start crying. Especially if he didn't start being nice to her.

Auron sighed, able to deduce soon enough why she was crouched down beside his bed.

"Rikku, go back to your own room," he ordered. "It's just a storm."

"No!" she squeaked, shaking her head, her blonde hair falling across her shoulders in disheveled waves.

"I thought you were over this," he started, sounding more and more irritated as their conversation went on. "You're acting like a child."

"You think I don't know that?!" she snapped temperamentally up at him, her green eyes, despite being brimmed with tears, narrowed at him accusingly. "I can't help it you know! Fear isn't logical!"

He sighed. "No, but it is logical to get over yo-"

Another shock of lightning struck and she shrieked again before pulling her head back against her knees, hiding.

"Rikku," he started again. "Go back to your own room."

She whimpered.

He growled. "Fine, but don't make any more noise." Beyond annoyed at having been woken up in the first place, he turned over, faced away from her, and pulled the covers more fully over himself before closing his eyes once again. For ten years he'd gone without sleep. To say he was a little sensitive about keeping to his schedule was a bit of an understatement.

Rikku however, her head popping back up, took his words as invitation enough.

Unfolding her body, she quickly slithered her way onto the mattress.

Auron thought he might smack her.

"No!" he reprimanded, swiftly turning to put a stop to her attempts. "Get down."

She whined, sounding much like a five year old. "But I'm scared to be _alooonnnee_!"

"Why?" he growled. "The storm can't get in."

"But it's right outside," she whispered, as if it might hear her. "This whole house is right in the middle of it." Her eyes darted around then, as if it were a monster that might creep out from the corners and grab her.

"And just like with everything," except for fiends and war, "Zanarkand is built with defenses against these things. Nothing is going to happen." A flash of lightning zipped by behind him, silhouetting his bare chest and leaving Rikku in a state of fearful shock. "Now get off my bed."

"Auron, please," she begged, sounding both legitimately serious and scared at the same time. And despite how he wanted to, he couldn't ignore the honest distress on her face. No matter how ridiculous or illogical, she couldn't control her terror any more than he could control her. Try as they both could, she was still going to be afraid of lightning whether she chose to face it or not.

"The Thunder Plains was worse than this," his tone quieted some, though was still cold, as he tried to bring her around to rationality.

"I was still afraid," she countered. "I was just hiding it because you were so mean to me."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm being mean to you now."

"No you're not…" she objected, her disagreement taking him somewhat aback. He certainly thought he was being mean, but perhaps he wasn't reaching far enough or putting in enough effort. "You said I could stay."

"Because I would like to get some sleep sometime tonight," he grumbled. And he certainly wasn't going to get that with her flinching and crying right beside him. "Now either get down on the floor or leave."

"I won't move or make any noise," she assured. "You won't even know I'm here."

"I doubt that."

"Please, I promise I won't bother you."

"Rikku…" He tried to sound as displeased as he possibly could.

"Please…?"

He sighed. Again. But sleep was calling him, what with it being the middle of the night, and even some of his decisions could be affected.

"Fine," he finally growled out. "But you so much as squeak and I'm kicking you out." He didn't allow himself to feel any sort of satisfaction when her whole form drooped in relief. Turning away from her again, he slammed himself back down onto the bed and made great efforts in making sure she couldn't have any of the blanket.

Rikku, far too relieved to even notice, allowed her shoulders to sink, completely forgetting for a moment that just because she wasn't alone anymore, didn't mean the storm had stopped. She was reminded of reality a few moments later however and, tensing up once again, she sunk her body down against the mattress and did her best to take up as little space on the bed as possible.

The storm continued and it took all her willpower now to not move or squeak as it did. Which proved to be quite the distraction for her. It wasn't until she heard the sound of Auron's soft snoring once again that she even allowed herself the thought of relaxing. It all seemed futile however because the more she relaxed, the more likely she was to jump when the lightning struck.

She was never going to get any sleep.

Yet, despite the fact that she'd considered the storm to be quite terrible initially, it started to pick up, if at all possible. The wind whistled by, moaning and shaking the windows. The rain pelted heavily against the house, clattering loudly, and the thunder got so loud that it sometimes shook the entire building.

She didn't understand how anyone could sleep through it. Especially when the lightning came at two or three strikes one right after another.

Soon, however, she came to realize that it wasn't being slept through. Auron's snoring, though light, had come to a stop, his breathing becoming oddly quiet. As if, perhaps, he was listening. She could only assume he was awake, but when she turned over to look at him, all she got was his bare back halfway covered by blanket. Frowning, she considered whether or not she should say something, but decided it'd only get her yelled at.

Another couple of flashes and the rain sleeted against the window, Rikku pulling her legs up anxiously. For a city that didn't actually exist, she decided, the weather sure seemed real. She was somewhat comforted by the visual of Auron's back, taking relief out of the fact that he was awake and, were anything to happen (no matter how helpless he'd be or unrealistic such a thing), he'd be ready. As he always had been during the pilgrimage, she realized.

She'd never once seen him sleeping.

More lightning and, spurred by fear to take a chance, she reached out and laid her hand against his back, taking copious amounts of comfort from the warmth that emanated there. And Auron, despite the fact that she knew he was awake, didn't say anything. He just went on ignoring her as he had been previously. Rikku, who was always more apt to test the waters than leave them, found herself scooting closer to him until she was nearly pressed up against him. His broad shadow blocking out the window, and the easy feeling of his breathing, calmed her considerably. Soon she was only tensing when the lightning came, her faith in being safe where she was growing with every second she spent beside him. And still he said nothing. He was totally silent, Rikku thankful that he was, for once, being nice to her.

For once, it almost seemed as though he cared.

The storm went on, slowly but surely fading, and soon Rikku was asleep, the man beside her following shortly after.

Early morning came and, with it, the inevitability of everyone in the house having to get up. Wakka was the first awake, ever the early riser, and careful not to wake anyone else (especially Lulu), he made his way downstairs. Once there, he glanced around and decided that he wanted some of that coffee stuff Auron was always making. The coffee pot mechanics had been explained to him once, but as he approached the machine, his confidence left him.

Glancing back at the stairs, he decided it wouldn't hurt to see if Rikku was awake. She was usually up at the same time he was and would know how to get the coffee started, what with considering how much time she spent with Auron in the kitchen.

Heading back up the stairs, he went to her room and, careful not to be noisy, tapped the door.

He didn't get a response.

Frowning, he deduced that she was probably still asleep. Otherwise she would have answered.

Turning around, he glanced around the hall and decided that, since he was there, he might as well see if Auron was awake too. He definitely didn't want to wake the older man (was he older? Technically, they were about the same age now, he supposed, but the whole 'Auron was young again' thing was rather confusing to him) because Auron was even grumpier when he was unhappy. But, again, it couldn't hurt to check.

Going to the door, he tapped it much like he had Rikku's, but, again, he was given no answer. Frowning, he tried again, a little louder, just to double check, and could have sworn he heard a voice. So maybe Auron was awake after all?

Not wanting to be rude, he only opened the door a slight crack before whispering into the room.

"Sir Auron?" he hissed. "You awake?"

"I don't wanna do the Macarena…" was the very confusing response he got. Turning around, he double-checked he was at the right room. Because he was fairly certain that it was Rikku's voice he'd heard coming from Sir Auron's room. Eyebrows furrowed, he focused back on the room before him.

"Sir Auron?" he hissed a little louder.

"Because my ankles are gone…" Rikku continued, Wakka convinced then that it was her. And despite how it violated Auron's privacy, he stuck his head into the room to see just what he and Rikku were talking about.

What he saw nearly caused him to gasp, but he managed stop himself just in time.

"I can't do it on my hands," Rikku continued to mumble. "Because the ceiling is too round." She was asleep. But talking. Talking and Asleep. That was hardly what caused Wakka to stare however. No, that was more due to her position in the room.

Her and… Sir Auron's…

They were both asleep, Auron with his head tilted slightly towards the window, mouth agape. Really, his straight, relaxed position was quite normal. Wakka wouldn't have thought anything more of it were it not for the blonde girl attached to him. Head buried in his shoulder, one of her arms was thrown over his chest, hugging him, and one of her legs was trying to do the same, her knee resting on his abdomen as her calf stretched down against the inside of one of his thighs.

Wakka wasn't sure what to do, or what to think.

"Not even if you gave me jellybeans," Rikku continued, her voice snapping Wakka out of his daze. Backing away from the door, he clicked it closed just in time to miss how Auron replied that he "didn't like jellybeans" before his head lolled to the left.

Wakka, eyes wide, gulped before heading down the hall to his own room. He was quite beside himself and, hoping Lulu was awake, slipped back into his own designated sleeping quarters.

Thankfully she was, looking as though she'd just sat up as she glanced at him when he came in.

He made sure to shut the door behind him, Lulu immediately sensing his unease and furrowing her brows curiously. She knew she wouldn't have to wait long for an explanation.

"Oh Lu," he came stalking over to her, his voice hissed as he sat down beside her. "You'll never guess what I just saw." She was skeptical, but didn't interrupt. "I was just checkin' to see if Sir Auron was awake, cuz I can't remember how to make the coffee, and when I looked into his room, I saw…" he took a deep breath. "I saw _Rikku_."

Lulu blinked, not entirely sure why this was so horrific.

"She was there, ya," he continued. "Sleeping. In his bed. Mutterin' to herself."

Still he was not getting the reaction he'd expected, his brain furiously working through what details he'd given and which he'd forgot. Finally, he came to the most important part. "And he was there too," he added. "In the bed. _With_ her."

And that was the point Lulu had been waiting for.

"They were sleeping together?" she asked, suddenly much more intent than she had been previously.

"Ya," Wakka nodded furiously. "She was hangin' all over him." And Lulu, who had glanced down at the sheets thoughtfully, quickly digested everything she'd heard and tried to come to a logical conclusion. Yet despite how she searched, nothing was revealing itself to her.

"Well there has to be a reasonable explanation," she said quietly, more to herself than anything. "There's no way they're…"

But before any more conversation could be had on the matter, they both heard the familiar sound of a door being opened. And based on its location, it had to be Auron's. Frozen, they both listened and, for some reason, felt as though they should be as quiet as possible.

"…not happen again," they heard Auron saying as he approached their door. "I don't care how bad the storm is, you stay in your own room next time." His footsteps faded as he headed for the stairs, Rikku's voice, though inaudible to them, trailing after him.

Lulu released a relieved sigh.

"See, it makes sense now," she decided, far more poised than she had been previously. "Rikku being… Rikku was afraid of the lightning and Auron… let her stay in his room with him." Even as she said it, it didn't sound right. Or possible. But Auron did seem to have lightened up considerably since the last time they'd seen him. They'd all attributed it to him being young again, as if his physical age should affect him. He was much more the person they'd seen in the old spheres they'd watched than the man that had gone on the pilgrimage with them. "He was just being sympathetic," she finished firmly.

Nodding to herself, as if that should validate the notion, Lulu threw her covers aside and stood up, completely ignoring the befuddled look Wakka had plastered to his face. Because, as far as he was concerned, such reasoning hardly seemed to validate what he'd seen. There was something about how they'd lain there, tangled up in one another, that didn't seem to convince him that there wasn't something else going on.

And, unfortunately, that was the idea Auron was afraid someone might have gathered had they seen him that morning. Which was why he was thankful no one had (or so he assumed). Upon waking up, he'd found, much to his immediate discomfort, that Rikku had basically plastered herself to him. Glancing downwards, he'd taken note of how her arms had gripped at him, her leg extremely heavy between his own two.

It was then, with careful delicacy, that he'd reached down and gently shoved Rikku's leg away from him. Mostly because he could imagine her having woken up and accidentally injured him in places he'd rather she didn't. As soon as he was safe however, he'd flung her arm hastily away from him, causing her to wake up with a start.

In an uncommonly bad mood, even for him, he'd then gotten up, grabbed a shirt and sweatpants, and headed out to the hall, making it perfectly clear to Rikku, who was still somewhat startled as she followed him, that what had happened the night before was never to transpire again. Ever.

Without another word to her after he'd finished his lecture, he sat down at the kitchen table and, grabbing a tablet that was sitting near the edge, tapped it into life before scrolling to the Zanarkand news. His light reading for nearly every morning.

Rikku, nose scrunched up with sleep, sat down beside him, seeming to cast him a somewhat confused expression in response to his silence.

She yawned.

He pursed his lips.

"What are you reading?" she asked, sounding only half-interested, which vexed him further. Why ask such a pointless question when she knew he was preoccupied? It was only early morning and already he felt as though he was more irritated with her than ever.

He ignored her question.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed I guess…" she muttered and Auron, as if to remind her just what side of the bed he _had_ woken up on, cast her the severest sidelong glance he could muster.

Rikku huffed, shaking her head and turning away. Standing, she decided it was too early to deal with him and instead went about rummaging through the kitchen for some breakfast. That aside, she was slightly embarrassed over her behavior the night before. Looking back, things always appeared about half as bad as they'd seemed at the time. She knew, were she faced with a storm of the same magnitude again, she'd likely act in the same way, but that didn't mean she wasn't ashamed of such behavior.

Well, what was done was done she supposed. No use beating herself up over it.

Eventually managing to locate some fruit and cinnamon bread, she returned to the table and went about eating. Her thoughts, however, were continually drawn to the man beside her. It was only a matter of time before her voice put life to them.

"I don't understand why you have to be such a grouch all the time," she started, knowing full well her words wouldn't go over well with him.

He didn't even bother to look at her, pretending, she decided, to be wholly indulged in whatever it was he was reading.

"You really should lighten up some," she continued. "I mean, you're a lot more relaxed than you were on the pilgrimage, but I think there's still room for improvement." She forked some diced peaches in-between her lips.

"I hadn't realized my personality was viewed as such a hindrance," he stated coldly, still not so much as flicking his gaze to her.

"I'm not saying it is," she objected. "But you're just so serious all the time."

"I'll stop being serious when there isn't anything to be serious about."

"You should try laughing once in a while," she decided.

He "hmphed" in response.

"The way I figure it," she continued, undaunted, "you've been given another chance. So why not relax a little and enjoy it?" He didn't justify her with a response. "I mean, you've got a nice place to live, friends who like you (incredibly, since you certainly don't encourage them), and it's not like you're totally bad looking either."

"What a compliment."

"I'm just _saying_," she ignored him, "that if I was brought back from the dead, I'd find some time to have some fun is all."

"I think you have enough fun for the both of us."

"C'mon Auron," she continued to pester. "Don't act like that." And he eyed her with a cocked brow, as if his behavior was so expected, she could label it as "that." As if it were a thing, something to be detached from him. Something bad. What caused him pause, however, wasn't the fact that he was acting one way or another, but that she seemed to think there were times that he acted different when, to his knowledge, his mood wasn't varied from anything than it usually was.

It was kind of insulting, actually.

He didn't have the patience to comment on it however, instead preferring to go back to the news. Rikku, her lips forming into a pout, bit into her cinnamon bread and considered for a few moments whether she wanted to continue to pursue the subject. Part of her, the more childish part, wanted to poke at him further. But, before she could go about finding the best way to do so, her eyes flicked to the large, ceiling to floor windows on the backside of the house. There, she could see the neighbors in the building parallel were out on their porch, faces turned towards the sky.

Immediately curious, she rose from her seat and made her way over. Glancing up against the glass, she tried to get a view of whatever was so interesting.

There, skirting across the inside of the dome, was the silvery Leviathan.

"There he is!" she awed, leaning closer to the glass to watch as it flitted through the sky. "He's okay…"

"What?" Auron had come up next to her, following her gaze upwards

"I didn't know it could get inside the shell though…" she observed, the serpent soaring higher and higher as they watched.

"I've… never seen it inside the shell before," Auron replied, his tone oddly mystified, causing Rikku to glance over at him. His brows were pulled together in what appeared to be concern, the creases of his face only seeming to deepen.

Turning back to the window, Rikku's mood dropped considerably, both she and Auron watching as it finally reached the top of the shell. As if it were no great effort at all, it surged through the barrier and out into the Farplane, the forcefield rippling behind before calming once again.

Slipping into the outside world, it vanished, once again an invisible enigma.

**oOo**

Eyes fluttering open, Yuna involuntarily stretched as she stared at the pillow on which her head rested. The black silk brought the memories of the night before slowly filing into her brain, her lips pulling into a small smile. Still stretching, she turned her body to the left, arm reaching out.

Her fingers met with empty space.

Abruptly, her heart froze, memories from further back assaulting her. Of waking up over and over and over again only to realize that the reunion she'd had with him had all been simply a dream. Night after night such ideas had bombarded her, leaving her empty and cold when she'd awoken.

Gasping, she surged up in the bed, gaze hastily darting around the darkened room.

Draggingly, her heart calmed, her senses registering that she wasn't in the hut in Besaid. Head turning, she peered to the window where there, some miles beyond, she could see the glowing lights of the city. Of Zanarkand.

Gulping, a shaking sigh left her lips.

Though she was able to calm herself, that didn't change the fact that she was, indeed, alone. Pulling her bare legs over the side of the bed, she peered into the darkness – it must still be early – and attempted to locate her clothes. She managed to spot some of them, but not enough of the articles to dress herself. She saw Tidus' clothes as well, still scattered upon the floor.

Lips pursed, she supposed it didn't matter. Standing, she ignored the vague soreness that echoed between her legs before heading towards the door, where she could see hazy dark-flow filtering in. Pushing the door open, she glanced around the dim living space, her eyebrows furrowing when no other figure became apparent to her. For a moment, she grew tense once again, her hands twining together beneath her chin. She couldn't see him anywhere and, honestly, the boathouse wasn't that big. There were only so many places he could be.

Slowly toing her way into the middle of the room, she continued to glance around, her gaze eventually falling on the front door, which was cracked open slightly. Heading to it directly, she pulled it open until she could peer out, the sight that stood before her causing her shoulders to drop in relief. Relief she hadn't realized was waiting to be released until that moment.

He stood at the balcony, bare back to her as he leaned his one good arm on the rail, his chin in his hand. He appeared to be staring up at the sky. At the storm in the distance that had just recently passed over them and was now assaulting the far side of the city. And while he watched that, she watched him, pulling the door the rest of the way open, silent as she stepped out.

Abruptly, a mischievous thought struck her. Hand at her mouth, she approached him as quietly as she could. Grinning, she reached out as she came up behind him. With one swift, decisive move, she brought her hand forward and spanked him, his whole form jumping as he straightened suddenly and yelped.

Giggling, she continued to smile as he whipped around to face her, blue eyes wide as he stared down at her.

"Jeez Yuna," he breathed, "You scared me." He smiled however, taking her actions in jest.

"How so?" she asked curiously. "Were you expecting someone else to sneak up behind you?" Crossing her arms over her bare chest, she cocked a single eyebrow up at him.

His smile widened. "Well, I get snuck up on a lot these days," he replied as he reached forward with his one good hand, his knuckles trailing her jaw. "Though your method of attack was unique, I'll give you that." They both laughed then, Yuna noting, however, that, on his side, it sounded somewhat… empty. Once upon a time, it'd been her mirth that had struck of nothingness. Their roles were reversed now.

"Is there…" her lips fell into a slow frown. "Is there something wrong?" Concern laced her expression then, Tidus looking as though he would exhibit the same upbeat lie for a moment, but eventually gave in to her searching gaze. Hand falling gently to her shoulder, he sighed.

"I can sense it," he explained quietly, blue eyes falling downward. "The fiends, they're gathering outside the shell." He looked to the side. "They'll attack sometime today." Yuna could tell where this was going, her gaze searching his face as he spoke. Reaching out, she laid her hand on his chest, her nerves spiking.

"No," she shook her head. "You can't go out there. It's too dangerous." Tidus was shaking his head before she'd even finished her objection, his blue eyes turning back to face her. Still, however, she continued. "What if you can't change back again?"

"When I became an aeon, I hadn't had any intention of turning back," he replied quietly, Yuna unsure whether to be hurt by his words or not. "I'm the only defense between the dead and the shell, which is far more fragile than it looks. Sometimes the fiends _have_ gotten through. If someone doesn't keep them at bay, they will break it down."

"You said it yourself that someone, some_thing_, was trying to kill you," she tried again. "If you go out there, it could try again." But to the one who was bent on sacrifice, such an argument did little. She knew that better than anyone. "Eventually it'll get you."

"Then I just have to find whatever it is that's behind all this before it gets the chance," he reasoned, though all Yuna could sense from his words was more hollowness. "I can't watch my city be destroyed Yuna," he shook his head. "I couldn't bear it." All the life lost when he could have done something to try and stop it.

"Then let me come with you," Yuna said the words before they'd even had the chance to fully form in her head.

"No," he objected immediately, his hand falling away and leaving her shoulder cold as he turned back to face the city. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous." And Yuna knew he'd looked away so as to avoid the fast offense that filled her look. Whether he faced her or not didn't matter however – she was going to make her sentiments known.

"I don't care if it's dangerous," she objected fiercely. "I've faced Sin, been called a traitor by my people and been hunted, slandered, and-"

"I know all that," he interrupted, Yuna clamping her mouth shut resolutely. "It's not that I don't think you could handle what's out there Yuna," his tone was quieter. "It's that I can't allow you to be around me." His eyes glanced back at her over his shoulder. "When I'm Leviathan, I… I lose control. I can't have you around that.

"I don't _want_ you around that."

"But if I'm with you, then I can help you," she objected, less angry now and more desperate. "You shouldn't have to fight alone Tidus. Maybe… maybe I can help keep you… sane, and heal you. It's too risky to go out there alone."

He was already shaking his head.

"Yuna…" his voice was barely audible. "I already almost killed you once…" In his pain and uncontrolled insanity. "The surprise of seeing you was the only thing that stopped me, barely. And the madness gets worse and worse everyday. There's a chance I won't even recognize you… anymore." He'd been shocked to see her the first time, what little humanity within him that had remained. But there'd be no shock value anymore. He could turn and rip her apart in seconds, the feral lunacy taking over despite how he tried to fight it.

"Then don't go," she said again, rounding him and turning him so he was forced to face her. He refused to look at her however, his expression dark as he stared at the ground. "We'll find another way to defend Zanarkand that doesn't mean you turning into an aeon again. There has to be another answer. And if there isn't, we'll make one."

"The only way to defend Zanarkand is to stop the attacks."

"Then we'll find whatever is behind it," she continued, her hands lying on his chest. "We'll stop them. Together."

"No Yuna," he shook his head, her expression falling at his continued objection. "I want to stay with you, to do as you say, but I know it's impossible to find the answer within… a day," he smiled, almost cynically, and the expression looked foreign to her, a bitterness there that she'd never seen in him before. "Zanarkand is more fragile than anyone realizes. The fayth came to me with the idea of becoming what I am because they know they can't stand up to the dead trying to break in. One day without my defense, without my distraction, could prove fatal to everyone here. I don't… have the time to consider anything else."

"But you said it yourself that you'd been trying to find the reason this is happening," Yuna continued to reason, but she knew her words weren't having any affect.

"And I failed," he shook his head. "Not only that, but I was still capable of coming back and defending the city. As a human, I can't do that." And Yuna knew there was little else she could say that would convince him otherwise. What he said was true. The city was in immediate danger and there was no one else that could defend it, not in the limited time, hours even, that they had to consider it. The city could be overtaken by then.

She couldn't stop him.

"Let me go with you…" she tried again, but he kept shaking his head.

"You coming with me…" he whispered. "It won't serve any purpose."

"You don't know that," she strained, her forehead leaning against his chest. "Maybe we can figure out a way to turn you back, to control it."

"I won't risk that Yuna," he continued to refuse. "Besides," he smiled down at her, lifting her chin so their eyes met. "Someone else has to find the one behind this, right? That's why you're here, to find the answers that no one else can. Following me, that helps no one."

"Except you," she murmured.

"The best way to help me, Yuna, is to stop all this," he replied. "To… find out why the dream can't fade and make it so it can. So the fayth can rest. So the people don't have to be ravaged by war and death. Such a fate is… no different than Sin."

"And you'll fade away again…"

There was a pause as he considered her words – his fate – before he spoke again.

"I can't protect you anymore Yuna," he said quietly. "I know I said I'd always be there, but I… I can't…" His eyes closed – he looked as though he were in pain – and Yuna felt his chest shudder under her touch.

"Then I'll protect you," she stated firmly, staring up at him as determination hardened in her gaze. "I'll find out what's happening here, and I'll fix it. I'll find a way." That bitter smile took to his expression again. "I won't let you be murdered by whatever it is that's out there. And I won't let you remain in this insanity forever either." She shook her head. "There has to be a way."

And though neither of them said it, they both wondered at what way she was referring. A way to disperse the dream so he could rest? A way to stop the fiends? A way that would allow them to be together? At that moment, it all seemed equally impossible. But she'd find a way, just as he'd said he would the year before. She'd do something.

Something…

Watching him, Yuna saw Tidus' attention pull away from her, his gaze falling up to the sky. His expression hardened, his look darkening. He could sense something she couldn't, feel the danger coming. He was slipping away from her again and there was nothing she could do about it.

On the horizon, the sun's early morning rays lightened the sky, a soft breeze blowing off from the water around them.

He'd be gone with the night.

"I'll save you," she decided, pulling his distant gaze back her way. "I promise."

He didn't respond, his eyes sad as he dropped his hand away from her. Backing up, he took in her desperate stare for only a moment longer before allowing his eyes to fall upwards. Reaching up his hand, he welcomed the prison that looked to clasp around him once again. Unholy armor.

Watching, Yuna's mouth fell agape as the water around them began to ripple, his whole body rising off the ground as the clouds above their heads parted for a striking light to descend and sharply engulf him. It seemed to come from nowhere, the water from the sea drawn up in ribboned rivulets to strike around and wrap where he'd previously been standing.

Another layer of light shot downwards, encircling the first and lighting forth archaic symbols of the fayth that enclosed him. They flashed, causing her to take a step back, the power behind them giving her little other choice.

The light took shape, becoming the silhouette of a giant serpent. Like milky water, it soon dripped away, disappearing as it splashed atop the ground or dispersed upon hitting the seawater. Left in its wake was the silvery, shining aeon that had been but near death some few days before.

Blue eyes turning to her for only a second, he glanced her way before flicking his attention upwards. With a splashing kind of charge, he spiked upwards, into the sky, and swam towards the clouds. Towards the shell. Watching him the whole way, Yuna gripped at the banister, her heart tight and pained as he surged into the shell and easily rushed through, on into the outside world. To beyond, disappearing behind the city to the cliffs waiting.

She realized, some few minutes afterwards, as she'd stared at the heavens where he'd been flitting onwards previously, that she was alone.

Completely and utterly alone.

Pursing her lips, she gripped the railing a little tighter, closing her eyes as she pushed her emotions back into safer depths. Taking a few seconds to reclaim stable breathing, she soon pushed herself from the banister and decided, quite seriously, that she had a job to do.

Heading hastily back into the boathouse, she went to the bedroom, which was now alight with the rising sun, and gathered her clothes. Slipping them on, she then gathered Tidus' as well before hefting them into the other room. Dropping them to one of the couches, she then seized the mechanical arm before adding it to the pile. Pausing then, she glanced around the room until she spotted an item able to assist her. Pulling it from where it was stashed and piled with blitzball gear, she then brought it over and unzipped it.

The duffle bag was good-sized and everything easily fit inside it, arm and boots included. Zipping it shortly after, she pulled it over her head and allowed it to rest atop her shoulder. Glancing around the room once again, she considered whether there was anything else she needed, if there was something that might later be necessary. And as her eyes scoured the room, a single blade caught her attention.

It leaned up against the wall by the kitchen, shining in all the same aqua glory it had on the pilgrimage, the serpent screaming at the hilt only seeming more appropriate as she looked at it. He'd been carrying it when he'd faded away and apparently it'd come back to the dream with him. Brotherhood, a sword she stared at now and was only reminded further of his position.

Pursing her lips, she approached it, somewhat surprised at its weight as she picked it up. It mattered little however and, glancing around once more, she located another duffle bag and, careful not to shred the fabric, slipped the weapon inside, the blade just barely fitting and stretching the corners of the cloth. She couldn't carry a sword around in Zanarkand, the possession of weapons illegal to civilians (a law that Auron had told them of when they'd attempted to enter the city armed), so she hoped her poorly developed disguise would hold through.

Deciding she was set, she left the house and started her walk towards the city, only realizing as she reached the outer edges of the main buildings that she had absolutely no idea where she was going. And no money to get there.

Pausing on the lower path that stretched into the city, she considered her options, supposing she could actually get lost in the city forever if she wasn't careful. After all, it wasn't a small place by any means. And she had absolutely no idea where Auron's house was in comparison to her current position.

She considered asking for directions, but supposed that would do little good seeing as she had no idea where she was going. For a moment, she could do nothing but stand and wonder what she was _supposed_ to do. Auron had explained to her how to use the telephone, but she couldn't remember the combination of numbers that would connect her to him. Other than that, she knew no other ways of contact. She supposed she could call down a car like Tidus had the day before, but even if she did, she couldn't tell them where to go or… pay them.

She sighed.

As she did however, she spotted a car coming her way, dropping down until it was pulling up next to her. At first, she wondered if she'd somehow, accidentally, signaled it to come down, but upon closer inspection, she recognized it – her father's car. He came to halt right beside her, Yuna resituating the bags on her shoulder somewhat uncomfortably. Every time she spoke with her parents, she grew nervous.

Braska's form stepped from the car, his brows concerned as he came up to her. Yuna tried to muster up a reassuring smile, but wasn't sure whether she'd managed it or not.

"Yuna," he started as reached out to her, as if to assist her in some way, but faltered and returned his hand to his side, perhaps because he didn't feel he was close enough to her to offer such assistance so casually. "We stopped by Auron's to see if you'd come back, but when you hadn't, decided we'd better go and make sure you and Tidus were alright. But… what are you doing out here? By yourself?"

Yuna sighed. "It's a long story," she stated, not wanting to elaborate any further. Mostly because she was assuming that Tidus didn't want his identity to be revealed. He'd gone to great lengths to hide it and though she didn't quite understand why he was doing so, she'd respect his attempts and keep it a secret for as long as she could.

"Where's Tidus?" Braska asked then, his soft voice sounding almost accusing, and Yuna tried not to be injured by the tone, more so for Tidus' sake than her own.

"He… he had to go to work," she explained.

"And he left you out here to find your own way around?" her father asked, sounding aghast.

"Well, he…" she had to come up with something better to say. Unfortunately, she'd never been much of a liar. "He was running late and I told him I'd just call Auron, but I forgot the number…" She had no idea if that was a viable excuse or not. By the look on her father's face however, he wasn't convinced. And seeing as he didn't know Tidus the way she and her friends did, she couldn't blame him for being suspicious. "C'mon," Yuna started before any more discussion could occur on the subject. "Let's go back to Auron's. These bags are getting heavy." And without another word, she passed her father and went to the back of the car. Pulling the door open, she shoved herself and her parcels inside before Braska had time to react.

Soon they were all in the car and turning back towards the city, Yuna taking pains to appear tired and uninterested. She knew her parents glanced back at her, but they seemed to take the hint her attitude portrayed and asked her nothing. Thus, the trip was silent. Some twenty minutes later, they were deep inside the upper tiers of the city, pulling around to Auron's three-story house.

Still bulging with her rather bulky bags, Yuna made her way inside as her father held the door open, his concern having deteriorated to curiosity.

"Yunie!" Rikku squealed as she came in, the blonde fully dressed, awake, and ready for the day. More so, perhaps, than Yuna herself. "You were gone all night huh," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "You and Tidus sharin' some _alone_ time?" And despite everything, Yuna felt a blush rush to her face.

"That's enough Rikku," Lulu reprimanded as she came upon the group. "Yuna and Tidus' private life is their business and no one else's," she said it all very seriously. "Just like your private life," she stared pointedly at the young woman, "is of no consequence to anyone but you."

Rikku pouted.

"Hey, you're here!" Wakka came bursting in next. "I was hopin' you'd get here soon. Wanted to talk to ya about… Where's Tidus?" His simply pulled expression portrayed confusion, Yuna having supposed they'd asked this question nearly as soon as she'd walked in.

"He's at work," she explained easily, now more comfortable in her fib. "He had to leave early this morning." Making her way further into the house, she went to one of the couches on the far right and set down her bags, her shoulders thankful to no longer have the weight. The mechanical arm was pretty heavy after all.

"Oh really?" Sir Jecht's gruff voice came around from the kitchen, his expression sour as Yuna caught sight of it. "And where's the kid workin' then? I thought he was investigatin' all this… messed up dream stuff just like the rest of us." His arms crossed haughtily over his chest, Yuna pursing her lips as she considered what to say.

"He is," she finally replied, watching as Auron descended the stairs, entering the conversation as stoically as ever. "In fact, he told me some things that he found out." Or hypothesized rather, but it was a good way to deter the discussion to other points.

"He actually learned something about what's happening?" Braska asked curiously, all of them much more intent now. And Yuna, feeling the pressure of their gazes, cleared her throat before continuing.

"He said that it seemed like someone, or something, was controlling the fiends," she started, getting right to the point. Her explanation brought looks of surprised curiosity to the faces of those around her, but remained continually silent. "That's why they're able to organize the way they do."

"But how is someone capable of such a thing?" Braska asked.

"It's not unheard of," Lulu interjected. "We've seen it done before."

"Alright," Jecht started, "but what's that got to with what's goin' on here?" Because such an idea certainly didn't solve the issue of Zanarkand being there to begin with.

"I don't know that it does," Yuna replied, expression thoughtful as she brought her hand up and wrapped it around her opposing elbow. "But if we figure out who, or what, is behind it, well…" Such a thing might not help them disperse the city, but thus far it was the only lead they had. "It's better than sitting around here waiting."

"Did he say anything about where to find this… thing?" Lulu asked.

"No," Yuna shook her head. "But he seemed to think it was outside the shell." In the Farplane somewhere. Beyond where he'd felt confortable investigating. And where she had every intention of going until she found answers. And if she didn't find them, she'd look somewhere else.

"You… you want to go outside the shell?" Nehphrin asked, staring at her daughter with wide, surprised eyes. "But… it's too dangerous." She wasn't exactly attempting to stop the idea, but rather display how shocked she was at such a notion being suggested.

"I know that," Yuna replied stoically, unforgivingly even. And those who had witnessed her determination to become a summoner years before understood exactly what they were dealing with. It didn't matter how dangerous it was, she'd made her decision and would go through with it whether she had support from anyone or not. "But I don't see any other choice. It's the only lead we have that might take us somewhere."

"The Farplane is the land of dead," Jecht stated coldly. "And if something is controlling the fiends, it's that much worse. If whatever it is finds out you're hunting it, it could end badly." His warning wasn't falling on deaf ears, Yuna was fully aware of that.

"I'm not asking anyone to come with me," she started, glancing around to them all. "I'm fully aware of the danger. But I have to go." She didn't elaborate past that, her lips sealed with determination.

"You don't have to act like it's a hard decision for us to make," Lulu smiled lightly. "Of course we'll go with you." She nodded in understanding, Yuna's shoulders dropping in slight relief.

"Ya Yuna," Wakka grinned, patting his bicep. "We're ready to go with you anywhere!"

"We are your guardians after all!" Rikku chimed in happily, hopping up and linking arms with her cousin, further comforting Yuna that she was making the right decision.

"I… I want to go with you as well," Braska interjected, Yuna glancing up at him in surprise. "You're my daughter and though I couldn't protect you myself during your pilgrimage, or much of the time otherwise, I want to be able to do that now." Nehphrin nodded in agreement.

"No," the voice came out of nowhere, all their eyes flicking to the side to see Bahamut floating there. "You can't all leave." No one responded to his objection, waiting instead for him to justify himself. "I believe it is right, Lady Yuna," he looked to her, "that you should take on this pilgrimage. But you cannot all leave. You, Lord Braska," he then focused on Yuna's father, "are the only trained summoner here other than your daughter. The summoners and white mages of Zanarkand do not possess a fraction of the knowledge that you do. And the two of you," he looked to Auron and Jecht, "are the only ones defending Zanarkand with even a slight amount of knowledge. Especially you, Sir Jecht. Were it not for your influence, Zanarkand may not have mobilized any of their military." The facts rang true with them all. Without the three of them, or Leviathan, Zanarkand was all but defenseless apart from the shell, which wasn't a guaranteed protection.

And Braska, who realized this just as well as Yuna, glanced down at the ground in silent consideration, concern and pain echoing across his face.

"He's right," Yuna agreed, breaking away from Rikku and approaching her father. She laid her hand comfortingly on his arm, their eyes meeting. "The fayth brought you back to protect this place. They called me and my guardians to find the solution. We must all do our duty." And she knew, because of her father's history, that saying such a thing would no doubt convince him.

"Jecht and I will stay," Braska started then, looking at the fayth unflinchingly, "but Auron made a promise to protect my daughter. He was one of her guardians and will continue to fulfill that promise." The fayth didn't reply at first, but eventually nodded, his form then disappearing since he'd made his sentiments known. And Auron, who hadn't had one word to say on the subject, continued without anything to say. They could all tell, based on the typical, severe look on his face, that he agreed with what Braska had said.

"What about Tidus?" Jecht asked, his tone colder than it had been before. "He goin' with you?"

Yuna couldn't meet his eye. "He can't," she started, the others listening intently. "He has other things to deal with."

"What 'things?'" Jecht barked in irritation. "He's your guardian ain't he? A guardian never stops guarding his summoner. That boy should be goin' where you're goin!'" He was obviously furious at the development, Yuna able to see it on the faces of the others that they all agreed.

She sighed.

"He retracted his guardianship," she told them truthfully. "He's my guardian no longer." This spurred many wide eyes from her friends as well as gaping mouths. Silence too, though Jecht was the only exception.

"_What_?!" He was furious, his face reddening even as he stood there. "What do you mean he's not your guardian? That little shit! I'm going to kick his sorry ass all the way back to Spira!" He was practically yelling then, his voice echoing up through the house. Braska and Auron didn't seem surprised by this response, but some of the others jumped in surprise. Yuna was not among them however. She stood stoically, unable to be affected by anything. "Yuna," Jecht talked to her fiercely. "You tell me where he is right now and I'll kick some sense into that damn head of his!"

"I can't do that," Yuna replied steadily, still looking at no one as she spoke.

"What do you mean?!" Jecht snapped.

"I can't tell you where he is," she repeated, once again earning her curious looks from everyone else. And Jecht, who's breathing was shaking with fury, was unable to find anything else to say. Beyond frustrated, he whipped around and yelled, as if there were no words to relieve his stress. Which Yuna supposed was justified. Jecht had been extremely concerned about his son while he'd been missing. To then have Tidus show up for but a few days before being gone all over again? She imagined the knowledge, or lack of it, tortured the displaced father.

"You do know where he is then, ya?" Wakka asked delicately. As delicately as Wakka could in any case.

Yuna didn't respond however, explaining without words that she'd say no more on the subject. Rather, she didn't actually know where Tidus was, but she knew what he was doing. In any case, she was still far more in the know than anyone else. And for that, despite how grateful she was at knowing the truth, she was apologetic.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few seconds of silence, still unable to meet any of their eyes.

"Don't be sorry," Auron stated seriously. "Such secrets are not yours to reveal." He nodded to her then, Yuna catching his eyes and sighing gratefully at his words. Jecht didn't appreciate them however. Upon hearing them, he growled and stomped his way upstairs, intent to sulk and worry in private.

"Yeah Yunie, we trust you," Rikku added. "And Tidus too. He must be really busy if he can't be your guardian anymore." Because they were all aware that he'd become extremely dedicated to the profession. Only dire circumstances could cause him to give it up, which was disconcerting to those more intuitive individuals. "But, ah," Rikku tried to change the subject, "what's in the bags?" She gestured to the duffles sitting on the couch.

"Um," Yuna moved over, as if to stand between the bags and her friends. "I can't… I can't tell you that either." More concerned curiosity. "Please, I would if I could but… it's as Auron says." This was only more perplexing to all of them, but taking Auron's cue, they questioned it no more, Yuna trusting that they'd leave the bags alone.

"Well, if the five of us are going on a quest," Rikku, again, tried to change the subject, "then we should get ready! It'll be just like old times. Only… without Tidus or Kimahri." She frowned thoughtfully.

"When we leavin' ya?" Wakka asked, crossing his thick arms over his chest.

"As soon as we can," Yuna verified. "Today, if at all possible." Since the morning had only just begun. Nodding in understanding, her guardians took up their journeying attitudes and began to prepare. With Auron's help, they soon had as much food as they were capable of carrying packed up, their weapons in order, and other items they might need separated out. Originally, they hadn't been going to bring tents (they hadn't used them on the pilgrimage), but Auron had brought out the special tents they'd used at the camps along the outsides of the city. The machina tents, which took up all of no space. He explained, as he held a small, shining cube up for them to examine, that the tents were packed thus and that if one were to press the button on the top, it'd project outwards a special forcefield that created the tent. It wasn't much for defense, but it kept most of the weather out – when it wasn't "glitching" anyway. So they'd decided to bring along a fair amount of those as well, not knowing what to expect from the Farplane. And Rikku, who was intent to investigate the machina, released it inside the house, thus creating a mess of kitchenware that Auron had to clean up. Needless to say, he hadn't been happy. Eventually everything was settled however and soon they were ready to move out.

"Let's do this, ya!" Wakka said enthusiastically, his gatling gun, which was nearly as tall as Yuna, strapped to his back (he'd long since given up on his prejudice against machines and had learned a considerable amount from Rikku. With this in mind, he'd exchanged his blitzball for a more modern arsenal). He was belted with sashes of bullets, ready for combat.

"Yeah! I'm ready!" Rikku exclaimed happily, her red daggers strapped to her hips. "Let's show those fiends who's boss!" She and Wakka high-fived, their high level energy beginning to burst.

Auron shook his head as he watched them, his katana sitting across his back, which was now clad in a long, dark red, leather jacket, the collar standing up and framing his jaws.

"Are you ready?" Lulu asked as she came up beside Yuna, her wand, which was about half as long and thick as a staff, hung at her hip, dark and spidery in its design.

"I'm ready," Yuna assured as Lulu placed her brown hair behind her ear. Holding her staff tightly, she soon placed it in its proper position lying against her back before her focus was pulled to the other three in the room. Braska, Nehphrin, and Jecht appeared none to pleased with the situation, but were unable to do much about it.

"Don't worry," Yuna tried to comfort as she approached her parents. "Everything will be alright. We've all dealt with worse." And though her words were empty – none could know what she was about to face – ease was taken from the speech nonetheless, Yuna hugging her parents soon after. And as she did, the thought struck her that, if any part of what they did was successful, she might never see them again.

She held them a little tighter. A little longer.

When she finally pulled away, she cast them a last, reassuring smile before turning her attention to Jecht. He didn't look any happier, his scowling expression laced with concern.

"Don't worry," Yuna addressed him quietly, his red eyes flicking her way. "He's alright." A lie if she'd ever told one, all her efforts being put forth to make in convincing. And Jecht didn't appear to see through her, his shoulders dropping as some of the tension left his face.

"We should go," Auron started, his stoic, pressing attitude once again plaguing his intentions. "If we leave now, we might make some good time before sundown." Nodding, they all said some final farewells before making out through the door. Piling into Auron's car, they glanced up at the house, reminded only quickly of the luxury they were leaving behind.

"Where are we going Yuna?" Auron asked as he started the car and Yuna, who hadn't considered which direction to take, paused to consider the notion. Glancing to the west, she noted that it was the direction from which they'd originally come. And the east… that was the direction from which Leviathan had always appeared.

"East," she verified after a moment, confident in her decision. Nodding, Auron backed them out into the skyway and, breathing in the air of impending pursuits, they looked to the horizon, their goals stretching further beyond.

* * *

**A/N:** And onwards they go! Into the deep, dark… I dunno, lol. They'll probably head into trouble, in any case. Hope you all enjoyed. And don't worry, Tidus will be around too, I promise. I have big plans for them all, that you can be quite assured. Hum, yeah, I don't want to say too much more on the subject. In any case, please leave a **review** so I know how you're all feeling about where the story is going ^-^

In any case, onto my own personal indulgence (because none of you are expected to read this) –

**If this were a video game** – Last time I updated I said that I'd tackle the Job system in the next update. As everyone surely knows, in Final Fantasy X, each character had their own specific job (Yuna was a summoner, Lulu a black mage, Tidus a warrior, etc…). In X-2, the job system was initiated, meaning each of the three characters could have any "job" they wanted. In _this_ "game," I would take the best of both worlds. One of the biggest complaints people have about the job system is that the continuous ability to change a character's "job" often times takes away from the characters individuality. I can agree with this sentiment, which is why I'm going to meet somewhere in the middle. Instead of having a dozen different jobs that can interchange between the characters, each character is going to have their own set of jobs. That way, they retain their individuality, but there's still the flexibility of designing your own combat team (within the reasonable bounds of each character's personality). The "Tier 1" job for each character will be something like the original job they had in Final Fantasy X, as if they're having to "remember" the abilities they learned. "Tier 2" jobs are acquired afterwards. No one job is stronger than another really, they just utilize different abilities. And then there's the "Bonus Tier" which are "Job Spheres" that are acquired through side quests. Tier 1 and 2 you'd get during the game. As far as leveling, I'd probably go back to the leveling system of X-2, their stats balancing out with their respective job's attributes. A sphere grid could be designed to do this as well, like if each job had their own grid, but either way it'd amount to the same thing. And as far as changing during battle, one can switch from one to another, there would be a cinematic that occurred, but in the config the player could shut that off so it happens in just a flash.

And here are the jobs Yuna, Tidus, and Lulu would have (I'll post Wakka, Rikku, and Auron next chapter) –

_Yuna – _

**Tier 1 – White Mage – Default – Weapon: Rod ** This is the job she has upon initially starting the game and her outfit is the normal outfit she's always wearing. It's not really a whole lot different than what her abilities and attributes were in the original game (no summoning) and the final ability she learns is _Revive_.

**Tier 2-1 – Beckoner – Weapon: Fiend **This is kind of like the equivalent of Trainer in X-2 only instead of the monster or pet or something that fights with the character, Yuna calls forth a fiend to fight at her side. It's not a normal fiend, obviously. It's a bird-like creature (because birds are important to Yuna's character in this story) that resembles kind of a cross between an eagle, a swan, and a peacock (it looks cool, I promise, lol). This job fits into her character as she was a previous summoner, so it's kind of like a "summoner" job on a small level. Besides that, I feel that Yuna has this history and connection with death. Not to say that she's dark because death, actually, isn't inherently dark, but she'd be able to tap into that connection. She has similar defense to her white mage job with higher offensive strength and is able to attack aerial enemies. The final attack she learns is _Ravage_.

**Tier 2-2 – Necromancer – Weapon: Staff **Again, tapping into her connection to death. A lot of the abilities she has deal with her taking life (HP) from fiends or enemies and using them to either benefit herself or her team members (so she still kind of heals). She also has the ability to use the life force (HP) of other party members (not herself) to boost her magic or inflict damage on enemies. Her defense is slightly lower than the previous two jobs, but her HP grows generously. Her strength is low, but her magic is high, something similar to her white magic job. The final attack she learns is _Reap_.

**Tier Bonus – Dancer – Weapon: Ribbon **This job is very similar to the songstress dressphere in X-2 except she doesn't sing, only dancing. And the dancing is less "poppy" and "skippy" but more artfully choreographed. Koda Kumi was the model Yuna's original dances were based off of (in X-2) and some of the dancing she does in some of her videos could be used as inspiration. There's a seriousness to it as well however, like Yuna's original dancing in X. Her HP and magic are pretty high, her defense about that of a white mage, and her strength is rather nonexistent. The abilities deal with inflicting status attacks and draining continuous amounts of HP and MP while she's dancing sort of things. The final attack she learns is _Finale_.

_Tidus – _

**Tier 1 – Warrior – Default – Weapon: Sword ** This job is similar to what Tidus used in the original game – doesn't have a ton of magic abilities like the Warrior did in X-2. And he no longer has the Flee ability (that goes to the thief since Tidus no longer has any aptitude for fleeing from battles, lol). He has high agility and accuracy with averagely high strength, relying more on his speed as he used to. Average defense. His attacks are mainly physical based, a focus on multiple attacks on multiple enemies. The final attack he learns is _Blitz_.

**Tier 2-1 – Dark Knight – Weapon: Double Blade ** Tidus? A Dark Knight? Yes. A lot of you would probably think this would be reserved for Auron, but I find that Auron's story, though also tragic, is more proactive in its intentions. He doesn't sacrifice his life to save anyone, it's taken in his struggles to avenge. Therefore he is nobler in a sense of righteousness whereas Tidus' nobility lies in self-sacrifice. In this way, he's a "darker" character. In any case, this job is similar to the one in X-2, only the dark magic is focused onto his blade, which is a double bladed sword (the kind Zidane used in Final Fantasy 9). A lot of his attacks gain strength by him giving up his own health to inflict more damage. The armor is plated, though lighter than some, allowing him to move around better. He retains most of his agility and accuracy, though his strength increases some. Defense goes up a little though his HP is slightly lower so as the user has to be careful not to carelessly throw life away. The final attack he learns is _Martyr_.

**Tier 2-2 – Dragoon – Weapon: Lance ** Well, he turns into Leviathan, so it only seemed right that he get the dragon/serpent-like job. He doesn't have the ability to learn from enemies, as Kimahri did, but his range of attacks has widened considerably and he can now pierce armored fiends. His agility is about the same, but his accuracy has gone up considerably. Evasion is slightly higher. His strength is about the same as Dark Knight, defense has gone up some. HP is relatively low seeing as he should be dodging things. A lot of his attacks are physical, dealing with expanding on his jump ability, which can also increase his strength a great deal though it takes time to accomplish and he jumps off screen for a while (a lot like Freya in Final Fantasy 9). He is especially strong against dragon-type fiends and now has a better chance of hitting aerial enemies. The final attack he learns is _Rainstorm_.

**Tier Bonus – Dream Master – Weapon: Racket ** This job is where the blue magic comes in. A majority of this story takes place in the "Dream World" and this job is kind of exploiting Tidus knowledge of such. He has the ability to read fiend's, and people's (dreams), consciousnesses and learns from them. He can also control them during battle. His evasion his high, his agility and accuracy becoming about average. He can inflict a good amount of damage with the racket (see Final Fantasy 9), though his strength is somewhat lower than when he's a warrior. His magic surges upwards considerably and his defense suffers some. HP is about average. The final attack he learns is _Vanish_.

_Lulu – _

**Tier 1 – Black Mage – Default – Weapon: Wand ** Mostly the same as she was in the original game though she is limited to only elemental attacks with some different spins on different spells. The final attack she learns is _Doublecast_.

**Tier 2-1 – Witch – Weapon: Whip ** This is a sort of play on Rikku's previous ability to "mix" items. Basically Lulu can now combine items, special ingredients fiends drop, to create offensive type magic. Some are elemental and do multiple hits of damage. Some cast status affects. Some just blow up, etc, etc. She has some strength, but nothing to go bragging about. Her evasion and accuracy are high as is her agility. Her defense suffers as it does in the black mage job and her HP increases some, though it's still relatively low. She has no MP though her magic is "high." The final attack he learns is _Triplemix_.

**Tier 2-2 – Sorceress – Weapon: Dart **This is where the big magic comes in like Ultima, Meteor, Flare, Aura, Quake, etc. She now has next to no defense however, though her HP has increased to about average. Her magic has skyrocketed higher than any other job and her accuracy, agility, and evasion are still relatively high. She can attack with small darts, but her strength is rather low. The final attack she learns is _Evanescence_.

**Tier Bonus – Mystic Knight – Weapon: Rapier ** This job allows for Lulu to, for the first time, have a relatively high strength stat. It's a little bit less than that of a warrior. However, what really kicks it into gear is that she can now learn certain abilities that give her rapier elemental properties (such as Steiner was capable of with Vivi in Final Fantasy 9). Depending on the enemy, this can boost the damage she does considerably. Her accuracy, evasion, and agility are still pretty high, as well as her magic, though her defense is still lacking. The final attack she learns is _Cataclysm_.

And yeah, next three next chapter (I have no idea if anyone is reading these, but I also don't care, lol. I'm having fun!). Leave a **review** and let me know what you thought!


	7. Captive Liberation

**Beyond Reality**

_Chapter 7: Captive Liberation_

"There's nothing out here!" Rikku complained as they continued their hike across the Farplane. "There are barely any fiends!" Her lamenting had been going on for a good part of the last hour, the other five doing their bests to ignore her. It was growing more difficult with each step however, mostly because what she said was the absolute truth.

They'd left Zanarkand behind some time ago, the city only a slight glow in the distance. But for how long they'd actually been walking, they couldn't exactly tell. The sun didn't exist in the Farplane, they'd discovered. Sure, there appeared to be one when they'd been in Zanarkand, but it must have only been a figment of the dream itself. Surrounded in flowers and waterfalls, all the travelers got was a dull, empty kind of light, where it came from unable to be determined. It felt stale and unwelcoming, and oddly warm.

Concerning where they were headed, that too was a question to be considered. Thus far, the Farplane was a singular stretch from west to east, Zanarkand wedged up into the north and south walls, which stretched forward on either side of the travelers, walling them in and giving them only one option as far as directions to take – East. If it _was_ East anyway. Yuna supposed that without the existence of a sun, the idea of direction in and of itself was defeated.

They ran into fiends occasionally, but they weren't very strong and didn't appear to be associated with the ones that had attacked the city. Singular, they just happened to be strong enough to find form in the dense array of pyreflies. And there were pyreflies _everywhere_, though mostly they remained floating up above their heads, blurring out the sky (if the sky actually even existed).

Rikku growled in frustration, the group then coming to a halt.

"Maybe we should rest a while," Yuna determined, supposing they'd have to stop eventually. Were they on Spira, night would no doubt be falling.

Plopping down on the ground, Rikku sent flower petals flying as her shoulders sank. And Yuna, who hadn't realized how exhausted she was, dropped the duffle bags she'd been carrying and sighed a breath of relief. Wakka had offered to carry the bags, but Yuna had refused him. Granted, he'd promised not to look in them, but she hadn't felt it was fair to make her friends lug them around when she refused to reveal the contents.

"Are we even actually moving?" Rikku questioned, everyone glancing back at her. "I mean, does time and distance even exist in this place? What if there isn't anywhere to go?" Her questions weren't answerable and didn't make anyone feel better. Rather, they procured the opposite effect, her friends glancing away with disgruntled looks on their faces.

"It can't go on forever," Lulu determined. "If the density of the pyreflies has been upset, then the idea of this going on forever is impossible. For density to have an effect, the size of the Farplane must be measurable." What she said sounded logical and they took some relief from her words, not willing to ask whether logic even existed in such a place.

"I wonder what's at the end of it," Yuna questioned, squatting down in the flowers and staring into the distance curiously.

"It's something no living being has ever seen before," Auron replied stoically. "We should keep going," he then went on. "There's still some distance we can make before we rest." As he'd done many times before, he urged them on, pushing them to their last nerve and ounce of strength. And Yuna, who supposed he was right, strapped the duffles back atop her shoulders and headed forward once again, flanked by her friends. Rikku couldn't hold back a groan as she got up however.

"I wonder what everyone in Spira thinks happened to us, ya?" Wakka thought out loud.

"Probably think we're dead," Lulu replied easily.

"I hope they don't send anyone in after us," Yuna murmured.

"I wonder what happened to the people that got sucked in before us," Rikku started curiously. "Maybe they're alive in the city or something. Bet that'd be pretty shocking." She laughed.

"Doubtful," Auron replied coldly. "The only reason all of you were granted entrance into," and exit out of, "the city was because Yuna could communicate with the fayth. Anyone without that ability would have been stranded." His explanation was met with silence, Rikku frowning. They could all gather what he was saying however. Those who'd been transported prior were probably lost. Dead. Gone.

The idea made the journey ahead of them that much more daunting.

"Uh, hey guys," Wakka grabbed their attention, pointing to the right cliff. "What's that?" And of course, being the well-prepared persons that they were, they immediately pulled their weapons into an active position. What they saw was simply a silhouette through the pyreflies, a rare occurrence in the Farplane that usually meant a fiend. This one was huge however, the others continuing to stare curiously at it while Yuna lowered her staff.

"It's Leviathan," she said then, just before the creature got close enough to be seen through the haze. It was skimming across the cliff, flitting and flying gracefully to the "east," the same direction they were headed, though it remained at a great distance.

"I don't know whether that's good or bad, ya," Wakka said quietly, all of them remembering quite vividly what had happened the last time they'd run into the aeon.

"Maybe we can scare it away," Rikku whispered.

"It won't bother us," Yuna determined easily. "Let's go." Not even giving her friends the chance to reply, she continued to head further through the Farplane, leaving perplexed expressions in her wake. Her attention was torn however. Her heart had leapt upon seeing him, but the logical part of her brain held back. Though he was there, that didn't mean he was in his right mind. And even if he was, he wouldn't approach them. The distance between them would remain. Unless of course he attacked them, a notion Yuna didn't want to consider.

"What does he want?" Rikku asked temperamentally, everyone casting sidelong glances at Leviathan. The aeon was a fair bit faster than them however and was soon flitting on ahead, beginning to vanish from sight one again.

"Nothing from us, apparently," Auron replied as they stared after. "Leviathan must have his own agenda." Which Yuna knew to be true. Even if Tidus was in his right mind, was keeping an eye on them, he'd still zip back to the city if he sensed it was in danger. That was his priority – his mission.

"Just so long as it stays away, ya," Wakka determined. Unfortunately however, Leviathan kept returning, flitting around the cliffs as if it were following them. Yuna was the only one unperturbed by its stalking, the nerves of her friends continually spiking around her whenever it showed back up. Only Auron seemed otherwise calm on the matter, though he did drift closer to Yuna whenever it appeared.

Soon however, despite how the sky never changed, they decided to stop and put up camp. Quickly circling their machina tents in a secure formation, they all sat down together to eat before most retired to bed. The order of who would stand watch was set, Yuna somewhat irritated that she was left out. She wasn't a summoner anymore, but her friends had reasoned that it was she who the fayth had wanted to come and thus it was their job to protect her. In this sense, things would remain as they had been on the original pilgrimage.

Yuna had had little choice but to give in.

She found it difficult to sleep however. She faded in and out of consciousness, rolling back and forth inside her tent. Eventually (she didn't know how many hours she'd been attempting to rest), she couldn't take it anymore and surged upwards. Somewhat annoyed with herself, she exited her tent, glancing around to see that it was Lulu who was sitting in the middle of the formation, standing watch. They must have been about halfway through the schedule then.

Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, Yuna rounded the side of her tent, fully aware that Lulu would probably see her anyway. Hopefully however, as the older woman understood far better than others the idea of tact, she'd be left alone. She didn't have any intention of going very far, but her feet wanted to move. And so, she headed off into the Farplane, towards the southern cliffs, in the hopes of exercising out her anxiety. As she'd expected, she wasn't followed; instead, left to her own thoughts.

Her mind was just as unknowing as her movements however, constantly drawn from one worry to another. From Tidus to Zanarkand to Spira. The weight was heavy, the unease never-ending. It'd been different when she'd had a goal in mind, when her journey had had a clear ending. But what they were doing now… it left her feeling lost. What she was doing, she had no idea. They were simply walking with no intention, hoping to come across something, anything. The nothingness was stress incarnate.

No direction…

Having been staring at her feet sifting through the flowers, Yuna soon sighed and flicked her gaze back up, about to groan in frustration. Her voice was caught in a gasp however, her body freezing as her heart skipped in her chest. Her surprise was evident, the figure before her watching without even the slightest hint of disturbance.

For a moment, Yuna's voice was lost, her eyes wide as she took in the man standing before her. There was some thirty feet between them, his blue eyes focused unblinkingly on her.

Initially, her thoughts had rushed to the idea that, somehow, he'd turned back. He'd become human again. But even as the notion entered her head, she knew that what she looked at was a lie. The face was different, thicker, and the hair was darker. The way he stood was heavier. And the glint in his darker gaze was unforgiving. Sapphire, not azure.

Pursing her lips, she stood her ground.

"Who are you?" she asked loudly.

He didn't answer, though his expression registered her voice. He blinked, his jaw tensing slightly. And Yuna, taking no good vibes from him, reached back and grabbed at her staff.

For a moment, they continued to simply stare at each other, Yuna gulping as her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

Yet, finally, the stranger took motion. Chin rising, his gaze fell back behind her, his weight falling to one leg as he crossed his arms over his chest. Something else had caught his attention.

Skidding up beside her, Yuna wasn't surprised as her friends, armed and on the offensive, flanked around her. Yet upon seeing what she was up against, they all froze, their attentions and thoughts becoming rapid.

"Tidus?" Rikku questioned, almost lowering her daggers, and Yuna quickly put an end to such assumptions.

"That's not him," she made perfectly clear, her tone ringing inside Rikku's head and causing her to pull her weapons back into position.

"Who are you?" Auron demanded to know.

The stranger narrowed his eyes, almost as though he hadn't heard anything they'd said. He did speak however, but what he said was in no way a response to their own inquiries. "I can't allow you to pass," he said sternly, his tone, though oddly similar to Tidus,' much deeper by comparison.

"And who are you to stop us?" Auron asked, deciding to keep on with the conversation.

"The guardian of the Edge," he replied darkly. "None from the city shall move beyond this point." And, as if to accent his position, his hand fell to the hilt of the sword sheathed at his side. Yet still he made no move to actually attack them, perhaps thinking his warning would be enough of a deterrence.

"The Edge?" Lulu questioned.

He narrowed his eyes at them.

"We will pass," Auron made perfectly clear. "None shall stop us." And his hand tightened around the hilt of his katana. "Not even a guardian." And the stranger, who must have assumed they'd back down, snarled in irritation.

"I have been given this post and shall not hesitate to protect what lies beyond," he tried again to threaten them. "None shall pass."

"What are you protecting?" Yuna asked, her tone far less confrontational than Auron's. "We're not here to harm anything or anyone," she continued. "We're simply looking for answers, that's all."

"You come from the fake city," he replied. "No dreams will be allowed beyond this point. None who serve the fayth are welcome here."

"Then you are not a dream?" Yuna asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Of course not!" he rebuked hotly. "Dreams are nothing but copies and memories. They have no sense of the real world or will of their own. The entire idea was nothing but a comfort for Yevon." Yu Yevon, they took his meaning to be.

"Then you're alive?" Lulu asked.

"No."

And thus their answer was before them.

"I'm dead," he continued, far more talkative now than he had been originally. "I was killed during the war between Zanarkand and Bevelle a thousand years ago. Murdered unjustly because I tried to stop the Slaying. The living are full of nothing but hatred and destruction." His last words were said with venom, hissing out across the distance between them.

"The Slaying?" Yuna asked curiously.

"The unjust sacrifice of all the summoners in Zanarkand!" he replied harshly, the darkness upon his figure increasing. He was haunted by the words that erupted from his mouth, twisted by pain and despair. Insane perhaps. One of the potential side effects of death. "Forced to give up their lives to serve Yevon and create the Destroyer. The one that would conquer Bevelle."

"Sin…" Lulu murmured.

"Yes, Sin," he hissed, growing more and more frustrated as they watched him. "And summoners were convinced they were doing the right thing. That by aiding Yevon in creating his armor, they were protecting Zanarkand. But I knew there was no saving the city," he shook his head. "The summoners were pushed to the front lines, oblivious to the way Yevon then turned the remaining citizens into fayth and _destroyed_ the city! As if to preserve it!"

He was pacing shortly then, staring at them as though it were all their fault such terrible things had happened.

"That fake city is nothing to the lives actually lost," he spit. "I watched it from Gagazet, me alone. The remaining people were turned to stones, tied to Yevon before he moved on to the Razier Plains to take the summoners as well. The whole city was empty and after he used the life force of the summoners to call Sin, he leveled it!

"I tried to stop him! To warn the summoners!" he was yelling in a rage then. "I tried to save her!" He looked harshly away then, continuing to pace as a few pyreflies whispered out of him. "I will not fail again!"

"Who were you trying to protect?" Yuna asked quietly, their aggressor coming to an abrupt halt then to stare at them in outrage and offense.

"The summoner!" he shouted. "It wasn't right that she should have to sacrifice her own life to stop the destruction. I tried to get to her, but Yevon had already taken her up as his own and I couldn't reach her! So I went to Bevelle! I tried to warn them, to tell them to stop the war before it was too late. But they threw me in prison! They left me to _rot_ while Yevon sucked her dry.

"I couldn't do anything," he was pacing again, his hands in his hair as he gripped at the blonde locks, plagued by internal insanity. "I couldn't find a way to save her." And Yuna didn't know if it was how similarly _they_ looked or the desperation in his voice, but her own feelings resonated with his. With his failure. A parallel where her guardians had succeeded.

"But I will not fail this time!" he turned on them then, his lips pulled back into a snarl once more. "None shall pass! The dreams must stay where they are, blasphemies! They will not interfere! They _cannot_ interfere." His sword was pulled from its sheath then, shining vibrant and blue in the glowing light of the Farplane.

"He comes!" Auron warned as, experience gracing his movements, the stranger rushed at them. Weapons raised, they all took efforts to counter the onslaught, Auron rushing forward just in time to catch the steel of the blue blade against his own. With a great heave, he shoved the stranger back again.

"I will not rest until you are banished!" he yelled and came at them once more. Again and again he came at them, not a care at all for his own wellbeing. He was struck several times, but never was their any blood nor apparent slowing in his rage. And he was fast, too fast at times, which made it difficult for them to strike well. But even the dead had to grow tired, his attacks coming to a halt as he bounded backwards and out of range.

"Nothing will get past me," he growled, his words coming off almost as a threat, and as he stood there, his breathing became heavy, the pyreflies around him seeming to gravitate closer and closer. Yuna and her friends all recognized what has happening. They'd seen Seymour do this as well – pull in more pyreflies to make himself stronger. It was, apparently, a skill the dead could command if powerful enough.

"We have to get him, now!" Auron bellowed, each of them still armed and ready for combat.

"There's no need for that."

And as quickly as it had all begun, abruptly it was over. As if a whip had come down and scattered the pyreflies, the man vanished, lost in a burst of light. Shocked, Yuna and her friends could do nothing but stare, the voice that had halted them approaching from behind the glowing remains of the crazed dead man.

"Shuyin, Shuyin," she cooed as she paused to stare down at the spot where he'd been standing only moments before. "Always letting your emotions get the better of you." She glanced up then, her green eyes sparkling as she smiled. It was a cryptic smile however, the sight of it sending a shiver down Yuna's spine. "I should have known he'd get carried away." Hands on her hips, her high, blonde ponytail swayed behind her. She was dressed oddly, almost like an Al Bhed with Yevon accents. Two large red bows were tied on either side of her waist.

"What did you do to him?" Yuna asked, unsure whether she was surprised or angry.

"Do to him? Nothing," she shrugged innocently. "I was just sending him back to base is all." The ones listening furrowed their brows. "He has this unhealthy habit of saying too much, though his misdirected rage does make a powerful weapon once in a while. He was a little too rash to have center stage however, which was why he was here."

"Base?" Lulu asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh my," she placed a single finger against her lips. "Maybe I have a habit of saying too much as well." She laughed lightly. "Not that it matters. It's quite too late to stop our plans now. Soon everything will be within our reach."

"Are you the one after Zanarkand?" Yuna asked, feeling as though she was reaching for straws, yet also on the mark. Intuition perhaps.

"Zanarkand?" she laughed again. "That small heap of dreams? Hardly." She waved them off, only confusing the group further. Able to understand some of their expressions however, the strange woman continued. "I'll admit, I was the one summoning all those fiends around and sending them at the city, but," she was beyond nonchalant, "it wasn't because I actually _wanted_ to do anything to the city."

"I don't understand," Yuna shook her head.

"Of course you don't," she replied. "I'm not finished yet." Yuna pursed her lips. "Those fayth of yours only think of one thing – their _precious_ city. They called that… _snake _to protect it, which was the main reason we've been attacking the fake metropolis. That aeon kept getting awfully close to our borders and is probably the only thing that could have stopped us. But…" she smiled again, "I kept it distracted. Now it's too late."

"The attacks on the city," Auron started coldly. "It was all a big diversion. To hide whatever it is you're actually doing."

"Exactly," she laughed again, the sweet sound grating to their ears.

"What, _exactly_, are you doing then, huh?" Rikku asked.

"Well I can't tell you that silly," she assured. "We summoners are awfully bound to keeping our word, and I swore not to tell any of the dreams." They weren't dreams (Auron being the exception), but all decided to stay quiet on that subject. "You're all far too weak-minded to handle it. That's the consequence of being made up of memories."

"And I suppose," Lulu was as calm as ever, "that whatever you're planning won't end well for us."

"I couldn't really say," she replied. "Dreams are useful, but hardly need be considered to mean anything. Rather, our plans are for Spira."

"Spira?" Yuna asked abruptly.

"Not that you'd know anything about that," she smiled wider. "But I really have said _far_ too much," she sighed. "Now that our plans are in motion, it's hardly necessary for me, or Shuyin, to be here. Even if that snake were to find out the truth now, it's too late to do anything about it. I'll be returning." She waved to them mockingly. "Ta-ta."

A growling snarl was heard above their heads. Glancing up, they all watched as Leviathan shot down out of the sky, through the pyreflies, and slammed into the spot where the woman was standing. The collision and the force of the blow sent Yuna and her friends flying backwards, a storm of flower petals erupting in the same moment.

Scrambling up off the ground, Yuna watched as Leviathan coiled around the woman, still growling and hissing in anger. Yet even as they watched, there was a bright flash that struck through the crevices between Leviathan's twisting body. The great aeon shrieked, more so out of rage than surprise, before winding away. Like those watching, the beast's eyes were drawn to the steaming spot where the women _had_ been, but was now… empty.

Leviathan snarled, making it quite obvious that, somehow, the stranger had escaped his clutches. Whipping and flitting about carelessly, it attempted to search for her, but came up with nothing. It shrieked again, alighting into the air before vanishing up into the sky.

Left gaping and flabbergasted, the group remained in their current positions, attempting to take in all of what had just occurred. Yet it'd all happened so fast…

"Wow…" Rikku murmured.

It took some moments before they could gather their bearings.

"This don't sound good, ya…" Wakka decided, his lips pulling into a frown. "Bringin' Spira into it an' everythin.'" He shook his head.

"We have to find out what… what's going on," Yuna decided, her own heart falling at the idea of Spira being in danger. "We have to stop whatever that woman and whoever she's working with are planning to do." Yet even as she said as much, no options were presenting themselves. Despite all they'd heard, they'd learned nothing. They were no closer to even reasonable questions, let alone answers.

"That Shuyin…" Auron started. "He said he was guarding something called the 'Edge.' If we came across him, then perhaps we're not too far off from his ward." Perhaps. Though there was no guarantee. Yet, abruptly spurred by a feeling of haste, they decided that they'd pack up their things and get started once again, far more intent on making it somewhere, anywhere, than ever before.

"Leviathan was pretty mad," Rikku started once their journey had begun anew. "I totally thought it was going to attack us next, you know?" She shook her head, practically sighing in relief.

"I don't think it was affiliating us with that woman," Yuna started, more certain than her friends would have expected. Though some were getting inklings that tried to lead them to the truth. "I think it'd been… listening. It has been following us after all. Perhaps it heard what she said and…"

"And tried to stop her from leaving," Lulu offered.

"Can that thing really understand what's happenin' though?" Wakka asked. "It seemed pretty crazy when it tried to… attack Yuna a few days ago…"

"He was in pain," Yuna defended. "No one would be in their right mind…" She resituated the bags on her shoulders.

"You seem to claim a lot of knowledge in defense of the beast," Auron countered.

"O-of course," Yuna replied quickly. "I'm a summoner. I can… sense things from it… sometimes…" Which wasn't exactly a lie. She could, at times, connect with it. Now, whether that was because it was an aeon or Tidus had yet to be determined.

"You should tell it to stay away from us," Rikku muttered. "Gives me the creeps."

Yuna decided not to reply.

They didn't run into Leviathan again however. Wherever it was, it was keeping its distance. Besides, even if it had been flitting around, the others were far too intent to really notice. Not because of their mission, but because, after a few hours worth of walking, the scenery around them began to change. Not in the sense of becoming a different place, but abruptly the ground was headed downwards, the flowers descending into high steps they had to climb down. Not only was it a new development (because the Farplane had been quite all the same prior), but it was also taxing to have to scale down the miniature ciffs. Because though they looked like steps – steps covered in flowers – they were hardly proportionate to human size.

Taking a deep breath, Yuna dropped down one more step, somewhat surprised when, beneath the carpet of flowers, her feet splashed into water. Water that came up to her ankles. All around her, her friends encountered the same thing, each of them staring quizzically down at their feet.

Rikku splashed around childishly and decided that "none of this made any sense," before hunkering onwards with slumped shoulders.

"I'm tired of jumpin' down cliffs!" Wakka decided. "Gonna break my leg or somethin'…"

"At least we're getting somewhere," Lulu added, though her reasoning was debatable.

"Ugh, we're not getting anywhere!" Rikku decided and, stomping hastily forward, looked about ready to vault down the next cliff face. Eyes narrowed, Auron surveyed the next edge before, legs pumping, dashing and splashing through the water. Reaching Rikku just in time, he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt just as she was about to head over the cliff.

"Stop you idiot," he scolded, Rikku jumping and glancing back at him in surprise. "Never mind your blind trust that nothing in this place ever changes," a comment on her decision to simply walk over the next ledge, "but look at the water." Pausing, they all glanced down. And Yuna, able to easily understand what he was referring too, followed the flow to the edge of the following cliff. Abruptly nervous, she got down on her knees and carefully leaned over the edge.

Her heart dropped at what she saw.

"Ohhhh!" Wakka was looking over as well. "There's nothin' there, ya!" The water, as Auron had pointed out, was flowing forward, catching the edge of the cliff, and left to the demise of emptiness below. Nothing to catch them – no flowers, no ground, nothing. Just empty air.

Disheartened, Yuna fell back onto her rear, not at all sure what to think to do next. Because it wasn't that they were merely high up on a mountain. No, it was almost as though they were floating. On a floating island in the air. Because even as she looked down, she could see the bottom edge of their current cliff. It ended some three feet down, vanishing and leaving nothing else to the eyes but a deep, dense fog. The water, which ran over continuously, was left to spray and be wasted among the clouds below them.

"We've reached the Edge," Lulu determined coldly. "Was this really what Shuyin was referring to?" Because, as far as they could tell, there was nothing worth protecting.

"There must be something else beyond here," Auron decided. "But beings such as ourselves can't reach it." That was, the living and dreams. The dead, as Auron knew full well, possessed abilities those otherwise couldn't even fathom.

"What are we supposed to do?" Rikku asked, crouching down and fingering the flowers in apparent despair. And Yuna, who could offer nothing, pulled her knees up to her chin and stared out into the emptiness, her thoughts numb as her frustration pulled her downwards.

"This place…" Wakka shook his head and sighed. "Don't understand any of it…"

Tired and worn, everyone was soon circled around, sitting on the Edge and trying to figure what they could possibly do next. No words came however, silence reigning supreme as they considered the futility of their circumstance. They were in a world they didn't understand, where they didn't belong, and were getting nowhere. Truly, it seemed hopeless. It was almost expected, then, that thoughts would be drawn to other things.

Rikku sighed. "That Shuyin guy," she started. "He sure did look an awful lot like Tidus, you know?" She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular, her legs stretched out before her as she stared up at the pyrefly-littered sky.

"Sure didn't act like him," Wakka determined, though Yuna wasn't quite so sure she agreed with that assessment. It was uncanny, actually, how much the crazed dead man had reminded her of Tidus. Though he'd clearly been insane, she'd heard so many of his words echoed in Tidus' own. Still, however, had Tidus failed to save her, she liked to imagine that he would have been strong enough to beat such despair. Because it wasn't just his summoner that Shuyin had lost, but apparently his whole way of life – his home, the people he knew, everything. Such insanity was justified she supposed.

Then again, perhaps Tidus had lost that too…

He wasn't exactly the most stable-minded individual anymore however, or so she noted to herself.

Shaking her head, she closed her eyes. Just thinking about him and his situation gave her a headache. Especially since she had no answers. She dreaded the idea of Tidus becoming Leviathan forever, becoming an entity equal to Sin in its mindset. She wouldn't allow that. Somehow, she'd save him. She _wouldn't_ fail.

He'd be free of his responsibilities as a fayth one day. No longer sentenced to flying around the Farplane, protecting a dream.

Soaring…

Eyes flicking open, Yuna was abruptly on her feet. She was so struck by the idea, the realization perhaps, that her abrupt actions took all her friends by surprise. Smiling to herself, she turned away from them, her eyes scanning the skies intently.

"What is it Yuna?" Lulu asked, all of them standing behind her.

"I have an idea," she announced. Silence followed her declaration, her friends apparently expecting some kind of explanation, but Yuna decided that they'd no doubt disagree with what she was now attempting to do. "Don't worry," she said, avoiding the subject. "You'll understand soon."

She was sure they were glancing at each other questioningly, but she stole her focus from them. Her searching of the heavens got her no results and, quickly brainstorming, she decided to try another method. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and, clasping her hands together beneath her chin, allowed her consciousness the familiar stretch that had once been trademark of her dealings as a summoner. After all, it'd worked once in Zanarkand. Who was to say it wouldn't work again?

Praying, she searched. But it was difficult. When she'd been in the city, the fayth had been so close at hand, so near. It'd been easy to track her way from one spirit to the next, to connect with them. Now she was basically fumbling around in the dark, hoping her thoughts were strong enough to reach him, wherever he was. She had little faith in her ability to expand her prayers all the way to Zanarkand, but if he was close…

He had been following them.

Gritting her teeth, her hands tightened together as her brows pulled harshly together. She tried, she pushed – she could feel the sweat beading on her forehead. She was reminded of the first time she'd ever prayed to the fayth, when she hadn't realized what she'd been looking for and had strained continually until finally she'd tripped across Valefor. This felt much the same, only instead of being inexperienced with a solution close at hand, she was an expert with a resolution far beyond anything she had ever reached for. But she tried. She tried so hard, too hard perhaps.

She refused to give up.

"She's praying… right?" Rikku asked Auron quietly, who nodded, though he was equally as curious about her actions. Eyes narrowed, he waited, as did they all, for something, anything, to happen. And though the minutes ticked by, they were left in silence. Nothing changed except that Yuna appeared more and more fatigued. It wasn't until they were going to put a stop to it that the sound of swishing through the empty air caught their attention.

Glancing up, they all gaped at the silhouette of Leviathan above them.

"You called that thing here?!" Wakka asked incredulously as Yuna stood. She was somewhat unsteady on her feet, but her elation at her success easily bypassed any exhaustion that overtook her. Instead, refusing to sever the connection she'd finally managed to locate between herself and Leviathan, she stared up at the aeon with bright, unrelenting eyes.

"I don't know that this is a good idea…" Lulu murmured, fully aware that Yuna wasn't going to listen to her.

Rather, the summoner of their group was too busy trying to ease the emotions of the beast hovering yet a long way above them. She couldn't talk directly with him, she'd already tried, but she was able to sense his mindset, just as she hoped he could hers. He was nervous, he was afraid to be around her, afraid he was going to hurt her and his friends. And Yuna, by contrast, attempted to calm him. To assure him that he was in his right mind then – for certainly he had to be to feel such things – and that so long as he listened to her, he'd remain so. At least, that was what she'd decided would happen. She sent him inklings of their predicament, of what they'd inferred, which, quite to her frustration, only seemed to concern him further.

His movements twitched above them, his form flicking further away, and Yuna unintentionally added a layer of desperation to her communications with him. This seemed to make him angry, that she'd act this way when he'd already warned her of the danger. Growling, he flitted further away _again_, Yuna forcing herself to remain calm. Yes, the beast before her was Tidus, but even at his sanest, he was still now trapped in the shell of an aeon. He was unstable and if she let her own emotions get the better of her, she'd lose him. She had to recall back to her summoner training, when she'd been taught to always be calm and collected. Only the most levelheaded of summoners could succeed because only they could truly tame the aeons.

"He doesn't seem too happy…" Rikku muttered, unconsciously taking Auron's arm and hugging it to her chest. He ignored her, far too intent on the creature above them to care.

And Yuna, forcing herself into steady breathing, tried again to convince Leviathan of their plight. To somehow enlist his help.

Upon thinking such a thing however, he shrieked into the air, flipping wildly in both frustration and anger. Backing her consciousness away from him, she kept only her fingertips shimmering over his spirit, touching him only enough to keep in contact. He calmed slightly, no longer being so thoroughly invaded, and Yuna tried again, slower this time.

She didn't jump to ideas during the next round. Instead, she tried to instill the idea of him coming closer. Of simply coming down so she might speak with him. Because, though communicating through feelings was personal and all, it certainly wasn't the most articulate of methods.

Still he was hesitant.

Yuna assured him that it'd only be for a moment however, that she only wanted to speak with him. And though he was continually nervous, he slowly sank some in the sky, still refusing to come all the way down. Rather, he flitted around above their heads, as if still contemplating how close he could really get. Or, perhaps, how close he _had_ to get.

The comforting waves Yuna offered seemed to be working however and, despite his misgivings, Leviathan was soon perched on the ground, supported by his three legs some distance away from them. His blue eyes, which were centered with round pupils, stared at them suspiciously.

"What are you doing Yuna?" Auron had come forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her advances. And, much to everyone's surprise, she whipped around with an irritated flare in her eyes, ripping her arm from her guardian's grasp.

"Stay here," she hissed quietly. "Don't say anything, don't make any fast movements. Okay?" She didn't give them much choice because, within the moment, she was walking towards the beast once again. And, wary of her warnings, they had little choice but to do as she had said. For fear that if they didn't, they'd be putting _her_ in danger.

Entirely intent on Leviathan once again, Yuna slowly crept forward, her hand gradually reaching out. Yet as she got closer, she could sense strong waves of unease wafting from him. And as the distance between them began to close, he actually backed up a step, his head swinging to the side as he contemplated flying off.

Yuna, calmly, tried to convince him to stay. And as she did, his head swayed between staring at her and into the Farplane, a strange, growling like whimper emanating from his throat.

He took another step back.

"Please," Yuna whispered, his attention falling back to her as she spoke. "Nothing is going to happen." Her assurance did little, she could sense that, and she continued to try and ease his roiling moods. "You're not going to hurt me," she continued. "I promise."

The clearing echoed with his oddly savage whimper once again, those behind listening, astounded at the reactions Yuna was pulling from the beast. Mostly because, though they couldn't sense exactly what was going on, it was obvious Leviathan was distressed.

"You have to trust me," Yuna continued, no longer approaching him for fear of scaring him off. "I know you don't want to help us," she gulped, "because you don't trust yourself. But _I_ trust you. I know, if I help you, that you can control this." It wasn't completely clear, but it almost appeared that Leviathan had shaken his head, once again glancing out into the open Farplane as his one front leg pawed at the ground apprehensively.

Yuna considered her words carefully then, trying to find the most efficient.

"I know you're afraid," she started, "because of what happened the last time we met." She and Leviathan that was. "But I've… I've dealt with a lot of aeons and I know, if you would just let me try, I could help you. We could get control of this. Together." She took a step closer to him, his attention on her fully now. "But you have to trust me. That's how the relationship between a summoner and an aeon works." Still she slowly but surely walked towards him. "Summoners have to be disciplined in order to create a connection between themselves and an aeon. And once that connection is formed, I'll be able to… ease the insanity inside of you.

"But you have to let me." And even as she said as much, she projected the assurance to him that there was already a connection between them. That, if he'd just lower his defenses and let her in, she'd be able to fight with him against the madness crowding in.

For a moment, she could sense his feelings of need, of desperation and the want to be freed. But just as quickly, the fear was there. Fear that the worst would happen. He'd never wanted to be a threat to her, never thought he would be. He'd wanted to protect her, always, and now that seemed impossible.

"It's okay," Yuna whispered, her words unable to reach those waiting behind. "It's my turn to protect you now." She kept her heart rate under control despite how her own nerves wanted to burst. But if they did, he'd be gone. She couldn't let that happen, for more reasons than she thought she could know. "Tidus…" her words were hardly a whisper, but he heard them. "I love you, no matter what you are." Her hand was still outstretched to him, her fingers steady. "Let me in. Please."

And he didn't back away. Even as the distance between them slowly came to a close, he remained. Though his claws were tense in the ground and his neck curled defensively, he stayed.

He _stayed_.

And as Yuna stretched her hand up towards his nose, she realized that his head was too far up for her to touch. If he wanted to try, if he really had any faith in her – and himself – then it was up to him to make the connection now.

Behind her, the four watching were frozen, eyes wide and bodies tense. They were ready to jump to Yuna's defense, despite how futile the idea. For certainly, at this distance, if Leviathan were to turn on her, they'd be too far to do anything. But they had to hope otherwise because, were they to give into fear, they'd likely rush forward despite her warnings.

Yuna was unaware of them however, her gaze intent on the man staring back at her. Though he was swathed in the skin of a beast, she could see him there, in the depths of those deep blue eyes. She applied herself there, opening up her consciousness entirely. She remembered the first time they'd met and gave the feelings she'd held then to him, how her heart had jumped upon talking to him for the first time. Their conversations during the pilgrimage, how happy she'd been when he'd laughed, despite what she'd believed to be her fate.

She allowed him to feel the despair she'd harbored the whole time she'd been set on being with Seymour, how much she'd desired it was him instead.

That night they'd shared in Macalania, when he'd comforted her in a way no one else could have done. She allowed her own emotions to envelop him, to ease his nerves and fear.

From there, her thoughts jumped to what they'd shared just the other night. Together, inside the sheets, every feeling he'd bestowed on her. The most personal of experiences; how her body had relished in the elation. She gave it all to him, allowed him to see it all, if only to comfort him a little against the madness raging on inside his skull.

She forced him to know just how much she loved him.

And his blue eyes, taking in hers, calmed their searching ever so much. They blinked behind his scaled lids, recognition of everything they shared gradually dawning there. It wasn't just the fear and the anxiety. There was more. So much more.

A few among those watching gasped as, gently, Leviathan's head lowered until it was just level with Yuna's hand. She was able to lay her fingers gently between his nostrils, his breath heavy and rushed before her. So great was his breath that, with every exhale, she could hear the air rushing through him before it tossed her hair and clothes billowing backwards. Smiling, she allowed her hand to travel further up his heatedly-chilled head, the giant feature like hot ice beneath her touch.

He closed his eyes, the connection between them even stronger then. Though he stood before her as a great aeon, she was almost able to convince herself that he'd wrapped himself up in her, his head buried against her collarbone as he inhaled everything she had to offer. As what humanity was trapped inside the shell took sanctuary with her, shielded by her raw determination to ward off the evil the was dragged behind.

Holding his great head in both her hands, she gradually brought him down, grounded him. She urged him to seek his humanity with her, to find it there and know that, no matter how mad he felt, she'd hold it there. She'd always know, even when he didn't, who he really was.

He could trust her in that.

"You'll help us, won't you?" she asked, his eyes blinking back open. She felt a swift flash of anxiety sweep through him, but she easily defeated it, the growl in his throat almost becoming a purr as he stared at her.

She smiled wider.

"Good," she decided, her hand reaching under his chin to scratch him lightly. Because, though he was a human deep down, he possessed the body of a beast and would take pleasure from such actions, just as her previous aeons had. The physical attention was comforting to them. A luxury they rarely received.

The thrumming inside of him only seemed to increase, his eyes closing again as his head, and neck, fell lower. Chin soon hovering just above the ground, Yuna took that as cue enough. As blindly confident as she ever was, she allowed her hand to drag lightly across the top of his head, up above his eyes and across the giant horns as she slowly walked up along beside him. Gripping the great protrusions, she used them for support as she easily stepped up onto his wide neck. Once there, she crawled her way up to the nook behind his head, able to wrap her arms around one of the tall spikes sticking up above her head. Comfortable, and still able to sense both his moods and pleasure, she allowed her legs to lie to one side before she finally glanced to her friends.

They were still waiting where she'd left them, all of them equally stunned by what she'd just done. Smiling still, she beckoned them over, wordlessly assuring them that everything was okay. Everything was under control.

At first, they didn't so much as move, but soon enough Auron's sense of urgency and logic allowed his feet to push on. Face set in stoic firmness, he marched in, the three left behind watching him for only a few seconds before they rushed to catch up. Soon enough they were all directly before Leviathan, Auron's lips pursing as he stared at the aeon, now up close and personal.

Blue eyes finally opening again, Leviathan looking directly at them, his head swinging around slightly to get a better look. Blinking, he watched, Auron staring back evenly for a few moments before finally turning away. Jaws tense, he followed Yuna without even the slightest bit of hesitation. Taking up position around the spike behind her, he took a deep breath and pretended to be comfortable.

Seeing Auron succeed without suffering any kind of consequences, the others took in brave breaths and followed suit. Rikku took the spike behind Auron, Lulu sitting between Wakka and the one he'd selected behind Rikku. They all marveled at the feeling of the living beast below them, some even becoming nauseous at the thought.

All Yuna could feel, however, was gratitude and joy.

"So, what, uh… what exactly are we doing?" Rikku shouted up to Yuna, her nerves making her voice shaky. And Yuna, who'd just taken a deep breath in preparation for the same thing, focused her attention back on Leviathan.

"Will you help?" she asked again.

Slowly, carefully, the great beast lifted its head, Rikku yelping as it did. Soon they were all high, high up in the air, even Yuna taking hold more tightly. Leviathan didn't make any moves to do anything however. Instead, it's head swung around to stare back the way they'd come, Yuna feeling the apprehension that swelled inside him.

"That woman said Zanarkand wasn't their real intention," Yuna said to him, the other listening carefully to her words. "She said she was leaving. The city should be safe now." But Leviathan couldn't quite bring himself to believe that, not entirely. Still his original reason for becoming what he was plagued him. That his whole reason for being was to protect that city.

"It's alright," Yuna made her voice as soothing as she could, the tension beneath her becoming tighter and tighter by the moment. "The city is safe," she sent as many calming thoughts his way as she could muster. "Sir Jecht and my parents are in charge of defense there," she reasoned. "Nothing will harm the city."

Yet still he feared leaving it.

"If we don't find the source of the attacks," she continued, "then they'll never end. You'll be… killed… eventually, and then it will only be a matter of time before the city falls too." Perhaps a more logical approach. "And we can't find out who's doing this without your help."

Still he didn't move.

"Please…" Yuna tried, again pulling at the more human parts left inside of him.

And finally, despite how his eyes lingered on the direction of the city, his head swung to the other. To the cliff where nothing but empty air waited to greet them.

Yuna felt her stomach twist.

"What are we doing?" Auron asked, his tone as calm as ever.

"We're going," Yuna replied easily.

"Going _where_?"

She took a deep breath. "On."

And taking that as his cue, Leviathan readied himself. Limping his way over to the edge of the cliff, he curled his great neck upwards as he look down, those atop grabbing hold in order to stay on. His front leg gripped at the ledge, his blue eyes staring down thoughtfully.

"Um, Yunie?" Rikku's voice was even higher than usual. "Are you sure this is _safe_?" It was bad enough they were already riding the beast; did they really have to go any further?

"Perfectly," Yuna assured, glancing back at them with a smile. Unlike her friends, her nerves didn't prick with fear. No, she was fed by Leviathan's reasoning on this point, her heart beating faster as his body tensed beneath them. She could tell that, for all the consequences becoming an aeon had brought on him, flying certainly wasn't one of them. Yuna had never been particularly afraid of heights. And now, as the beast before her took in a preparatory breath, she found she was quite liberated at the thought.

"Ohgod,ohgod,ohgod," Rikku's voice started, but as Leviathan fell over the edge, her voice was caught up in the wind, completely swept away. Her screaming as well for that matter, and Wakka's yell. Lulu closed her eyes and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. Auron? Auron held his respective spike as best he could and tried not to get motion sickness.

Yuna, eyes wide open, held tight and look forward, her stomach falling topside as she took in the thrill of weightlessness. Because Leviathan hadn't taken to flying yet. No, they were plummeting through the air, his tail fanning out behind. They crashed through the fog, the clouds, only Yuna assured of their survival because she could sense the certainty from the aeon carrying them.

On and on they fell, gaining speed. And Yuna, who wanted to see exactly what Leviathan saw, found that her current position wasn't good enough. Still smiling, she bit her bottom lip in concentration before gracelessly scooting her way around to the front of her spike, still holding on.

"Yuna, what are you doing!" Auron yelled to her, but she ignored him.

Considering her options for only a moment, she decided that, with enough strength, if she bounded forward, she'd probably be able to catch the horns spiking off the back of his head. Not bothering to consider the plan too thoughtfully, she jumped.

For a moment, she was completely airborne. If her friends yelled out after her, she didn't hear them.

Grappling through the air, she soon had her grip on one of his horns. Legs falling upwards behind her, she dragged her body down to the base. His head was too large for her to hold both at the same time, but it didn't matter. Arms wrapped around one, she left her body to drift as she stared ahead. Into the fog, she shared her sight with the serpent.

Still she smiled.

If Tidus could laugh in the state he was in, he might have.

Sensing a change in his demeanor however, Yuna soon realized that their fall would be coming to an end. Preparing herself along with him, she felt his whole body domino up with nerves before, with a great push, his form pulled away from the fall and shot out into the empty air.

Ready, Yuna held tight as her legs came down against his thick body. Standing straight, she held the horn as they surged forward. Tail flitting out behind him, they coursed back up through the clouds, headed due east into the broad, wide, empty nothingness.

Yuna had never felt so liberated in her life.

* * *

**A/N:** I'd imagine Yuna would like flying. She's never seemed to shy away from the idea before. It's kind of weird writing a story about characters who smile a normal amount. Like in the chapter where Tidus and Yuna make up, Tidus smiles quite a lot, cuz that's what his character does. But in the novels I write, the main character smiles, but it's always in a teasing way. And the main male character is generally described as appearing sour or grumpy (in a good way), so it's something I've had to adjust to. Well, in any case, it's good practice to write different kinds of characters. Though I tend to always make future Tidus more serious than he actually is. But I figure growing up will do that. He goes through a considerable amount of growth in the original game and obviously he's going to have matured in the year since last he saw Yuna, even if he was stuck as Leviathan.

Also, Shuyin...

Please leave a **review** and if you like Final Fantasy IX, check out my new story! Woo! Also, want to check out my real books? SKayLanphear on fictionpress, BAM!

**If this were a video game –** Onwards with the jobs for the last three characters!

_Wakka – _

**Tier 1 – Ranger – Default – Weapon: Gatling Gun ** This is, as with everyone else, similar to his previous job in Final Fantasy X, only I did away with the blitzball. One, because it's silly, and two, because I feel that, of all the characters, Wakka went through some of the most character development and that should be shown in his interests. A gun, logically, is going to be more effective than a blitzball. His HP is above average, his specialization centered on aerial enemies. Defense is about average and strength is also about average. Can pierce through armor. The final attack he learns is _Angel Eye_.

**Tier 2-1 – Monk – Weapon: Gloves ** Again, focusing on Wakka's rapid character development and his apparent ability to change and mold (because being able to get over a religious prejudice as quickly as he did is amazing and says a lot about his personality). Going from long distance combat to close up. Utilizing his vast amounts of strength, the monk isn't afraid to get up close and personal, dueling high amounts of damage on enemies lacking in armor. HP is pretty high, but defense is lower since he's very focused on the offensive. Somewhat high agility and evasion. The final attack he learns is _Final Heaven_.

**Tier 2-2 – Gladiator – Weapon: Axe ** This job focuses primarily on defense, whereas the other two were very offensive (though in different ways). His strength is still relatively high, but much more is put into retaining his HP and high defense. He is able to protect other party members while also barring the enemy from attacking anyone else. If anyone has played World of Warcraft, he functions similar to a "Tank." He's much slower however, so though his strength is still relatively high, it takes a lot of time to reach his attack turn, thus he's much more useful for pulling agro and taking a hit. The final attack he learns is _Hallowed Ground_.

**Tier Bonus – Cleric – Weapon: Pistol ** Again, pulling a drastic change here (all purposeful). A cleric is similar to an alchemist, only the focus is on creating items of a defensive or healing nature. Kind of like the opposite of a witch. It's more machine and science related however, delving into Wakka's acceptance of machina and what he's learned from Rikku (outfit reflects Al Bhed interests as well as priestly ideal). He has lower strength and no magic, but his defense as well as agility and evasion are rather high. One of the few healing classes with notable defense. Like the witch however, he must mix items to create other items. The final skill he learns is _God's Chemist_.

_Rikku –_

**Tier 1 –Thief – Default – Weapon: Daggers ** Similar to her job in X-2 as well as in X. Has the ability to steal from enemies as well as commanding the flee ability. Lower strength and defense, average HP, very high agility and evasion. The final attack she learns is _Bandit Bribe_.

**Tier 2-1 – Ninja – Weapon: Shuriken ** I think we're all probably pretty familiar with this idea. She's fast and able to inflict multiple hits per turn depending on the abilities she knows and the controls of the player. Evasion and agility are higher then any other job in the game, though her defense is lacking and her strength on its own is a bit below average. But with the multiple attacks she can duel out per command, she can throw a considerable blow. HP is about average as well. The final attack she learns is _All Creation_.

**Tier 2-2 – Berserker – Weapon: Claws ** The job with the highest strength stat. Vicious and fast, she's the deadliest physical attacker in the party. However, her defense is practically nonexistent, making her completely dependent on her incredibly high HP. Her evasion too is rather low, the feral nature of the job less concerned with avoiding enemy hits. No magic at all. The final attack she learns is _Howling Moon_.

**Tier Bonus – Lady Luck – Weapon: Cards ** Anyone who's dealt with this job or Cait Sith from VII understand how unpredictable this job can be. However, it can also prove to be one of the most useful job classes as well. Her strength is slightly below average, her evasion and agility once again jumping up. Defense is about average, as is magic. Focused on abilities that take a considerable amount of "luck" to use. Mainly offensive though sometimes, if luck is low, her attacks can backfire on herself or the rest of the party. The final attack she learns is _Lucky Seven_.

_Auron –_

**Tier 1 – Samurai – Default – Weapon: Katana ** Similar to his previous job in X. High strength, high defense, relatively high HP. Low evasion and agility. Can pierce through armored fiends. Specialization in killing certain types of fiends (bug killer, demon killer, etc…). The final attack her learns is _Zanmato_.

**Tier 2-1 – Knight – Weapon: Broadsword ** The knight is a noble job that had both a high strength and defense. Wears very heavy armor however and is excessively slow, though the attacks inflicted can be highly effective. The knight does not have the highest strength stat, but the abilities learned allows for the highest damage dealt by anyone. Anyone remember Beatrix from FFIX (how would you not, she's awesome), it's similar to that (only without her magic). The final attack he learns is _Save the Summoner_.

**Tier 2-2 – Paladin – Weapon: Claymore ** Because this is where I really think Auron would shine. His personality is darker, but his true disposition I think is truly noble. The Paladin has high strength and defense, average HP, and relatively low agility and evasion. The Paladin, however, does possess a considerable amount of magic ability. Particularly lethal against the unsent, the holy energy that can be drawn to the blade works similarly to the dark knight's dark power. He also possesses a plethora of buffs and group healing techniques, so it's about the only job that has high offensive abilities as well as white magic ability. The final attack he learns is _Holy Rise_.

**Tier Bonus – Scholar – Weapon: Grimoire **This job is unique as it is not earned or found throughout the story, but actually acquired after the "player" gets through the game once and restarts (as was done in X-2 (the replayability of that game was incredible and one of the more fun things about it)). The scholar allows for heightened "battle strategy." Using "spells" Auron is able to delve into the past, or the story "that has already happened" and use the experiences and knowledge the player and characters earned to their advantage. He can automatically apply the best jobs to the characters for certain battles, he is able to utilize a skill similar to the gambit system (FFXII) in organizing the players and commanding them, should the player so desire. Basically it's a job that allows for a fourth wall to be broken down between the player and the game, making way for customization and more in-depth battle strategy. It also plays on the idea of Auron always telling the story and influencing it, etc (a connection I'm sure we all see). He can attack during battle using certain spells, but his offensive abilities are weak. Average evasion and agility, low defense, average HP. It's a job that's better equipped and utilized through the menu than during actual combat, but would allow for better insight into the battle system and fights fought throughout the game. The final ability learned by the scholar is _Battle Master_ and it is only earned once the player has perfected all the jobs and fought every monster in the game (including the special bosses, weapons, etc).

And those are the jobs! I had fun delving into them and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I took a lot of inspiration from the other Final Fantasys, though IX got mentioned a lot. Yet if any of you are familiar with the attack names, jobs, etc, you'll see reflections back to almost every Final Fantasy, lol. I haven't quite decided what will be in this section next chapter, so it'll have to be a surprise ^-^ Also, if you like Final Fantasy IX, check out my new story!


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